Mothers and daughters are Wild About Style and community service. Photos courtesy of Bludoor Studios
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National Charity League Southlake is WILD ABOUT STYLE and Community Service
Clothes provided by Malouf's & Lilly Pulitzer
By Tracy L. Southers, APR
Mother-daughter relationships can be complicated, contentious and confusingbrfor both parties. This can be especiallybrtrue during the infamous teenage years when one is setting boundaries and thebrother is spreading her wings. An organization whose mission it is to not onlybrstrengthen the mother-daughter bond during the critical teenage years, but tobrdo so through helping others, is National Charity League (NCL). Founded in 1925brin Los Angeles, NCL today has more than 175 chapters and nearly 50,000 membersbrthroughout the United States. Locally,brthere are NCL chapters in Southlake, Keller, Colleyville, Fort Worth andbrseveral in Dallas. What makes NCL truly unique is that it limits its membershipbrto mothers and their daughters in grades 7-12.
Although well known for its community service roots, the organization's purposebrgoes much deeper to include leadership development, educational activities andbrcultural experiences. Through its core values, NCL inspires and equips young womenbrto succeed as confident, well-rounded and socially aware contributors in theirbrcommunities.
"I like to think ofbrit as a glorified Girl Scout troop, but you get to do it with your mom,"brsays Susan Pruitt, who joined NCL Southlake in 2008 with her daughter, AnnabrGrace, who is now in eleventh grade; her younger daughter, Kate, joined in 2010.br"We hope that we are instilling a lifelong duty of volunteerism and givingbrback."
Joining NCL Southlakebrrequires sponsorship by a current member and being a resident of Southlake. Inbraddition, there is a significant time commitment that must be met each year,bralong with annual dues for both mother and daughter. For many local girls, joining NCL has become abrrite of passage as they are entering seventh grade and their teenage years.
"Joining NCL duringbrthe seventh grade is beneficial because it takes the girls a couple of years tobrunderstand what this is all about. By the time they are juniors and seniors,brthey are really involved and taking leadership roles in the organization,"brexplains Tina Springer, who joined the Southlake chapter in 2010 with herbrdaughter, Hannah.
NCL is intended to makebran impact on the community and the charities it serves, but the NCL experiencebrcan best be summarized by the girls themselves, known as Ticktockers.
"I have learned sobrmuch from NCL. I have learned the joy that comes from being able to give backbrto the community and that we are so blessed for everything that we have. I havebralso learned that as a team, we can accomplish anything and that even thebrsmallest things can make the biggest impact in the lives of others," tellsbrMackenzie Miller, a senior.
Claire Creighton, president of the 2013 senior class, isbralready looking ahead to college, but will not forget what NCL has taught her.
"Through volunteering in NCL, I have gotten tobrexperience the feeling you get from helping someone unselfishly. Seeing how youbrhave helped someone is such a great feeling and I will take what I have learnedbrwith me to college to apply to other philanthropic activities."
NCL Serves Southlake and Beyond
NCL Southlake was established in 1996 and today boasts membershipbrof 143 mothers and 177 daughters. Together, these mother-daughter duosbrperformed nearly 8,700brvolunteer hours in 2012 for a dozen different causes ranging from preparingbrlunch for local children, delivering meals to senior citizens, sorting items atbrcharity resale shops, litter pick-up, participating in fundraising walks, andbrtaking care of shelter animals. Although membership is restricted to Southlakebrresidents, its volunteer activities extend beyond the city limits to otherbrcommunities including Grapevine, Keller, Roanoke, North Richland Hills,brCarrollton, and Dallas.
"There are so many organizations that could notbrfunction without volunteers. The girls get to see this firsthand and realizebrthe importance of being a volunteer," Pruitt adds, noting eachbrchapter is allowed to select the organizations it wants to serve.
In addition tobrfulfilling required volunteer hours, there are monthly meetings and a calendarbrfull of classes designed to teach etiquette, safety, first-aid, timebrmanagement, team building, community awareness and respect of others. Abrsix-year plan for Ticktockers outlines specific activities and personalbrdevelopment skills by grade. Trips to museums, plays, and music and dancebrperformances are also taken throughout the year to expand cultural horizons. Annual events include the Mother-DaughterbrTea, Philanthropy day, Senior Presentation, and the Spring Tea & AwardsbrCeremony that recognizes Ticktockers in each grade level, as well as abrmother-daughter award per grade level for the most philanthropy hours worked asbrteam.
District Ticktocker Day, which was held January 27 inbrFrisco, occurs every three years and allows the girls tobrmeet Ticktockers from throughout North Texas. This year's event brought 1,200brTicktockers together, including 100 from Southlake, to hear a presentation aboutbrsocial media, be part of the filming for a NCL commercial, and make care boxesbrfor families of service men.
“I'vebrhad the honor to serve as president of the Southlake Chapter for two years andbrit has been a rewarding experience to watch the development of the Ticktockers,brfrom our youngest class of seventh graders to our current seniors," statesbrBeverly Hottois. "This is a great chapter, with amazing Ticktockers and Patronessesbrwho consistently go above and beyond in not only being good role models, but inbrthe generosity of their time and talents in giving back to our community.”
Wild About Style Fashion Show and Benefit
NCL Southlake goes beyond volunteer service in giving back to thebrcommunity. As one of only 12 fundraising chapters in the country, it alsobrprovides financial support to its philanthropies. For this purpose, Pruitt andbrSpringer are more than just a Patroness (NCL term used for mothers); they arebrco-chairs of the chapter's 16th Annual "Wild About Style" Fashion Showbrand Benefit, which is its only fundraising event. The 2012 fashion show raised an impressivebr$51,000.
“Thebrfashion show would not be what it is without the dedication of the manybrvolunteers who are involved in the entire process. The Southlake Chapterbris unique in that we are able to help our philanthropies, not only throughbrvolunteer hours but also monetarily, and we do it all while having fun!”brcomments Hottois.
With 40 committee chairs, a professional choreographer, and ten monthsbrof preparation, the show has become elaborate and a much anticipated event. ScheduledbrMarch 3 at the Westin DFW Airport, expected attendance is near 600 people. Althoughbrall Ticktockers are involved in the show's production, only the junior andbrsenior members model clothes provided by area retailers. Duties are assigned bybrgrade level and include dressing room management, filling goodie bags,brregistration, obtaining auction items, and ushers.
"The fashion show has evolved and we want all the mothers andbrdaughters involved in some way," Pruitt says, noting it began as a socialbractivity and became a fundraiser in 2000. "This event belongs to thebrentire chapter and the girls understand that we do it for the charities."
Springer, who is in charge of sponsorships, credits many localbrretailers for their donation of items and services, including Lemongrass Salon,brwhich provides hairstyling, and makeup by Corinthian Wellness Spa. Retailers thatbrare lending clothes to this year's show are Maloufs, Lilly Pulitzer, Cache,brCharming Charlie, Francesca's, Girligirl Boutique, Impeccable Pig, Gap,brTyler's, Whatchamacallit, and Al's Formal Wear. In addition, girls modeling inbrthe show go to local resale shops that support GRACE and Metroport Meals onbrWheels and purchase outfits to wear during the opening act of the show.
"We want to provide volunteer hours, as well as financial support,brwhich comes from our auction items and cash sponsorships, of which 100 percentbrgo to the charity. Supporting our fashion show gives people the benefit ofbrhelping six charities, not just one," Springer points out.
The funds raised from the fashion show are disbursed to the selected philanthropiesbrat the chapter's annual awards ceremony. Voted on by the membership, thisbryear's recipients are: Metroport Mealsbron Wheels, Battered Women's Foundation, GRACE Feed Our Kids Program, SteppingbrStones Foundation, Summer Santa, and Christmas is for Children.
"The fashion show is a way the girls can give back to thebrcharities where they have given many volunteer hours that are so close to theirbrhearts. One can truly see from the stage their love for these charities and thebrfun they have putting the show together. As one of the producers, it is such abrblessing to work with such talented and devoted high school students,"brPruitt adds.
The 16th Annual "Wild About Style" Fashion Show and Benefit will be held Sunday, March 3.
Tracy Southers, APR, is president of WordPlay, LLC, a public relations agency in Grapevine, Texas. The company's services include consulting, copywriting, marketing communications, publicity, social media and special event planning. For more information, visit WordPlay Texas or call 817.756.1233.