Gateway

About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Gateway 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 the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Gateway aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

Mother-Daughter Recognition awardees. Picture courtesy of Pekai Photography LLC

The Gateway Chapter was founded in 1999 and is celebrating our 25th year promoting social awareness through action, meeting local needs and inspiring others to become community service leaders in St. Louis. Our chapter currently has 137 mothers (Patronesses) and 168 daughters (Ticktockers) who live in the Greater St. Louis area. We are dedicated to the NCL mission of fostering the mother daughter relationship through an ongoing commitment to philanthropy, culture and leadership. Some of the areas we support include: Children’s services for underserved communities, educational organizations, food insecurity, mental health, animal welfare, and people with special needs. In 2024, we served over 13,000 philanthropy hours with over 30 local and national partners. Together we are making a difference!

We value diversity, inclusion and equity within our chapter and beyond. Therefore, we support a membership recruitment strategy that enables a diverse membership. We incorporate programming for our members that support awareness, compassion, respectful engagement with people of different backgrounds or views and appreciation of the diverse cultures in our community. Our members represent 23 zip codes and attend 36 different middle and high schools, demonstrating our commitment to diversity.

Each Ticktocker class engages in a comprehensive six-year core program. We aim to instill compassion and civic responsibility in our young women while also focusing on comprehensive leadership development, respect for oneself and the differences of others, and appreciation of the fine arts. The six-year program (7th – 12th grade) incorporates many activities, programs and experiences that ultimately equip our daughters to carry out NCL’s mission, vision and core values. All members hold assigned roles that help foster responsibility, leadership, and interpersonal skills.

Circle of Excellence

Our Chapter is proud to announce that it is one of four chapters nationwide to have achieved the

Circle of Excellence for the 2024-2025 year.

This award recognizes the top chapters who have reached operational excellence, demonstrating healthy leadership and strong membership satisfaction, and incorporating diverse connections within a chapter.

Learn more about National Charity League

MISSION

The Mission of NCL, Inc. is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.

VISION

Through the mother-daughter relationship, National Charity League, Inc. will develop strong female leaders serving and impacting communities today and for generations to come.

CORE VALUES

Honoring the mother-daughter bond by together learning, growing and modeling responsibility and graciousness
Empowering women with the skills and confidence to lead
Nurturing through mentorship
Inspiring a legacy of social awareness and compassion
Providing depth of support in local communities
Integrity and excellence in everything we do

Big-Little Sisters

Big Sister – Little Sister Philanthropy Project

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.

The membership inquiry form in no way obligates you to become a member of NCL, guarantees your membership with NCL or requires you to fulfill any financial obligations. This form is simply to gauge your interest and provide you with the tools to move forward with the application process, if you choose.

NCL Gateway Membership Drive will open for the high school graduating class of 2033 in February 2027!

These will be rising 7th graders in 2027-2028.

EARLY INTEREST

Is your daughter younger than 6th grade?

While Prospective Members apply to join a chapter during their daughter’s 6th grade year, we would love to connect with you even if your daughter is younger. By filling out this form, you are not applying for membership or committing to join. We look forward to connecting with you!

For any questions regarding Membership, requests for transfers or assistance with connecting as a Sustainer, please contact Gateway Membership.

Angels Arms Project

Angels Arms Philanthropy Project

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:

Alzheimer’s Association
American Heart Association
American Red Cross
Angels’ Arms
BJC Hospice/Evelyn’s House
Challenger Baseball
Claver House
Five Acres Animal Shelter
Froebel School
Greater St. Louis Book Fair
Helping Hand Me Downs
Joy Petalers
Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN)
KidSmart
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Day of Service
Operation Gratitude
Pedal the Cause
Ronald McDonald House
Room at the Inn
Safe Connections
Shakespeare in the Park (Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis)
Southside Early Childhood Center (SECC)
Special Olympics – East Area
St. Louis Area Foodbank
St. Patrick Center
Team Activities for Special Kids (T.A.S.K.)
The Bridge
The Kindness Campaign
The Little Bit Foundation

Each NCL, Inc. Chapter promotes social awareness by considering the local community’s needs and selecting appropriate non-profit organizations to serve. Each Chapter then supports its philanthropic service partners through different volunteer activities.

Little Bit Foundation

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: Stephanie McGowan
President Elect: Melanie McKean
Secretary: Stacey Goldenberg
Treasurer: Elizabeth Purcell
Parliamentarian: Beth Conran
Vice President Communications: Kristen Armstrong
Vice President Membership: Diane Pratl
Julie Ponciroli
Vice President Philanthropy: Jill Helgerson
Vice President New Members: Carrie Edelstein
Vice President Ticktockers: Krystol Lottes
Sustainer Liaison: Melissa Eggleston
Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Carrie Bell

Nurturing confidence through opportunities to learn and grow, while also building problem-solving skills through a supportive environment of healthy relationships.

Examples of skills developed include:

Confidence
Consensus building
Team building
Conflict resolution
Event planning
Parliamentary procedure

Each class (7th-12th grades) elects officers to oversee the class priorities and run class meetings using Robert’s Rules of Order. The class officer positions closely mirror the Chapter Officer positions. Every young woman in our organization has a job within her class for the year, all to help support the execution of class goals. Some of the typical, non-officer class positions include:

Inspiration
Social Event Chair
Council Representatives
Nominating Representative
Communications Lead
Special Event Chair

The leadership development opportunities afforded to members through their NCL Experience six-year curriculum provide foundational knowledge and tools to improve life skills and leadership such as:

Conducting Meetings
Organizational Management
Time Management
Parliamentary Procedures
Consensus Building
Following a Budget
Team Building
Health and Fitness
Conflict Resolution
Event Planning
Public Speaking
Effective Communication

Are you interested in learning more about the National Charity League, Gateway Chapter? Contact Gateway Membership

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.

As future leaders, 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.

Mothers and daughters of each class attend a cultural experience together with a focus on different areas of art, theater, dance and music.

Each Chapter celebrates the richness of its history through traditions that honor the past. The Mother Daughter Tea is an NCL, Inc. tradition. Today, NCL chapters around the country continue to embrace their long-standing traditions, as well as, create new ones.

Examples of events/programs include: