Almaden Blossom Valley

About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Almaden Blossom Valley Chapter is a group of mothers and daughters who have come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.
Members shall reside in or attend school in San Jose, CA in one of the following zip codes: 95118, 95119, 95120, 95123, 95124, 95125, 95126, or 95136. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Almaden Blossom Valley aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

The Almaden Blossom Valley Chapter was founded in 1995, currently has 265 members.

Join Our Chapter

Interested in joining our chapter? Membership opportunities are dependent on chapter openings.

Please complete the Membership Inquiry Form so we can contact you directly. If you know a current chapter member, feel free to reach out to them as well to learn about getting started.

Membership Inquiry Form

For any questions regarding Membership, requests for transfers or assistance with connecting as a Sustainer, email us.

Mothers and their daughters (grades 7-12) participate in a program that embraces:

Community Service

We understand and serve communities in partnership with local and national nonprofits. Each NCL, Inc. chapter promotes social awareness by considering the local community’s needs and selecting appropriate non-profit organizations to support through different volunteer activities.

We work with the following philanthropies:

  • Almaden Community Center – Senior Care (10th Grade Focus)
  • American Cancer Society-Relay for Life (10th Grade Focus)
  • Animal Assisted Happiness (7th Grade Focus)
  • BAWSI – Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (8th Grade Focus)
  • Cake 4 Kids (11th Grade Focus)
  • Cancer CAREpoint (10th Grade Focus)
  • Carlton Senior Living (10th grade focus)
  • Children’s Discovery Museum (9th Grade Focus)
  • Children’s Healthcare Organization of Norther California (CHONC) (9th Grade Focus)
  • CityTeam – House of Grace (11th Grade Focus)
  • CityTeam (11th Grade Focus)
  • Family Supportive Housing (8th Grade Focus)
  • Gifts 4 Teens (9th Grade Focus)
  • Guadalupe River Parks & Gardens (7th Grade Focus)
  • HomeFirst (EHC) (11th Grade Focus)
  • Lifemoves (9th Grade Focus)
  • Lincoln Glen Manor (10th Grade Focus)
  • Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (9th Grade Focus)
  • Operation Care and Comfort (7th Grade Focus)
  • Parents Helping Parents
  • Princess Project (9th Grade Focus)
  • Sacred Heart (8th Grade Focus)
  • San Jose Parks and Rec. (7th Grade Focus)
  • Santa Clara County Parks and Rec (7th Grade Focus)
  • Second Harvest of Silicon Valley (11th Grade Focus)
  • South Valley FISH Food Pantry (11th Grade Focus)
  • Sunday Friends Foundation (8th Grade Focus)
  • Uplift Thrift Shop (8th Grade Focus)
  • Village Harvest (7th Grade Focus)

Each year, Ticktockers have a different focus area to encourage a wider range of volunteering areas of philanthropy work.  The focus areas are as follows:

7th Grade Focus – Environment and Animals

8th Grade Focus – Families in Need

9th Grade Focus – Children and Teens

10th Grade Focus – Senior Citizens

11th Grade Focus – Hungry & Homeless

12th Grade Focus – Senior Service Project 

 

 

Leadership Development

We build capable, courageous leaders through opportunities to learn, reflect and develop. Our leaders become successful in their education, career and communities by learning the necessary skills during their NCL experience.

Examples of skills developed include:

  • Confidence
  • Consensus building
  • Team building
  • Conflict resolution
  • Event planning
  • Parliamentary procedure

Our Chapter Board of Directors:

  • President: Jennifer Billante
    Sandi Vender
  • President Elect: Sandi Vender
    Sinead Mullins
  • Secretary: Marna Grigorieff
    Phuong Fingerman
  • Treasurer: Claire Burk
    Dina Talerico
  • Parliamentarian: Carmen O’Hehir
  • Vice President Communications: Seema Mulji
    Viji Mahathevan
  • Vice President Membership: Adriana Tonelli
    Sara Woodley
  • Vice President Philanthropy: Jennifer Smith
    Lauren Raegen
  • Vice President New Members: Nicole Devincenzi
    Shanda Stromfeld
  • Vice President Ticktockers: Kara Castagnoli
    Larisa Hewitt
  • Sustainer Liaison: Melissa Amooi
  • Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Jami Gerhardt
    Shannon McDole

Cultural Experiences

We preserve National Charity League traditions and core values, while appreciating the growth that comes from connecting with different communities and cultures. We continually strive to build stronger ties with our communities and the individuals within them. It is through this understanding that we grow and develop broader worldviews that will shape and support our lives.

  • Traditions – We celebrate the richness of our history through traditions that honor the past while serving the future.
  • Values – We embrace values that make us strong as an organization of mother-daughter leaders.
  • Community Connections – We build connections through experiences that impact our communities.
  • Etiquette – We encourage and mentor kind, respectful and gracious social conduct.

To promote cultural awareness, the Ticktocker classes have a different cultural focus each year and attend activities within the focus areas:
7th Grade – Performing Arts/Musical Theater
8th Grade – Art Museum
9th Grade – Cultural Food
10th Grade – Art Museum
11th Grade – Musical Arts
12th Grade – Senior Class picks