Highlander

About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Highlander 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 Highland Park, University Park, Greenway Park, West Highland Park, or Bluffview/Devonshire area. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Highlander aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

Our more then 350 members represent 7 public and private schools and served over 8,800 hours last year.

 

                         

Join Our Chapter

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

If you know someone in our chapter, talk to her about getting started, membership obligations and our membership drive timeline.  If you do not know someone in NCL, you are invited to complete this Membership Inquiry Form.

Membership Inquiry Form

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

Being a member of the Highlander NCL Chapter offers many benefits through both our local chapter and our national affiliation with NCL, Inc. Applications for membership are submitted annually based on standardized guidelines from the National NCL Chapter. 

The application window for the 2030 class has closed for the year.   All of our classes (2024 – 2030) are full and not accepting additional members at this time.  

If you know someone in the Highlander Chapter or NCL, talk to her about the Chapter’s boundaries, membership obligations and membership drive timeline. All Dallas Area chapters have the same membership requirements and timeline.  For any questions regarding Membership please email us at highlandermembership@gmail.com.

An overview of the membership process includes: 

Timeline: Applications for Membership are accepted during the Annual Membership Drive from January through March each year for daughters in 6th grade at the time of the Membership Drive.  Typically members join during their daughter’s 6th grade year and formally begin the summer before their 7th grade year.  This process moves pretty quickly so it’s important to stay on top of the deadlines and process.  Openings for daughters in grades 7th – 9th are at the discretion of the board and based on predetermined class sizes. 

Residence: A Prospective Member in Highlander shall reside in private or public schools in the Highland Park, University Park, Greenway Park, West Highland Park, or Bluffview/Devonshire areas. 

Application: A Prospective Member shall only apply to one Chapter, so it’s strongly encouraged to attend an information session before applying to Highlander.  We offer two information sessions per year, both in-person and virtually.  It is also a good idea to attend as many prospective member meetings as possible if considering more than one chapter.  We plan to have an in-person prospective membership meeting in February 2025 for the class of 2031. Please submit a request for information at the membership inquiry form or email listed above.  

Our Highlander Chapter follows a rewarding six-year program designed to further the NCL, Inc. mission through our three pillars of community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.

Thank you for your interest in our Highlander NCL Chapter.  We look forward to meeting you!

 

           

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
  • Bonton Farms
  • Brother Bill’s Helping Hand
  • Child Care Group
  • Community Partners of Dallas
  • Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
  • Disaster Response
  • Escuelita/DISD
  • Feed My Starving Children
  • Highland Park ISD
  • KB Polk Recreation Center
  • National Day of Service – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service – January 15, 2024
  • New Friends New Life (NFNL)
  • North Texas Food Bank (NTFB)
  • Operation Gratitude
  • Perot Museum of Nature and Science
  • Rays of Light
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • S.M. Wright Foundation
  • Salvation Army
  • SoupMobile
  • SPCA
  • Tango Feed the City
  • The Brookwood Community
  • The Kindness Campaign
  • To Be Like Me
  • Treemont (Senior Source) Healthcare and Rehab Center
  • UP Public Library
  • Voice of Hope

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: Beth Birdwell
    Missy Finger
  • President Elect: Ashley Shull
    Beth Birdwell
  • Secretary: Cindy Gray
    Haley DeVault
  • Treasurer: Diana Swope
    Melanie Schoenvogel
  • Parliamentarian: Deanna Carrell
  • Vice President Communications: Amy Kovac
    Jennifer Pankratz
  • Vice President Membership: Kyle Huckaby
  • Vice President Philanthropy: Adelaide Skinner
    Marianne Lynn
  • Vice President New Members: Carolyn Kuhnel
    Julie Melihercik
  • Vice President Ticktockers: Michelle McArtor
    Renne Lokey
  • Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Alicia Jahant
    Lindsey Brown

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 we develop future leaders, we 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. The NCL Experience provides Ticktockers with the opportunity to participate in cultural experiences which will further these goals. In addition, our annual Mother/Daughter Tea, Ticktocker Recognition Awards, and Senior Recognition, as well as other chapter events, provide opportunities for the Ticktockers to learn and apply appropriate etiquette, graciousness, self-confidence in social settings, good manners and respect for others, as well as development of interpersonal connections.