Nutmeg

About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Nutmeg 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 Ridgefield, Connecticut. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Nutmeg aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

For almost a century, the mothers and daughters of National Charity League (NCL, Inc.) have served their communities, formed lasting friendships, strengthened mother/daughter bonds and trained young women to become leaders.

The Nutmeg Chapter was founded in 2001 as the second NCL Chapter in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Our small community has supported two chapters ever since, creating a special bond with our local philanthropies.

NCL, Inc. has the distinction of being a mother/daughter based philanthropic organization which promotes engaging in community service activities together. We currently support more than 25 local philanthropies, providing a wide variety of volunteer services. Business meetings are held monthly (excluding summer) for Patronesses, and separate grade level group meetings are held for the Ticktockers (daughters). Both Ticktockers and Patronesses are exposed to leadership positions, as well as age-appropriate cultural and educational events and activities.

Join Our Chapter

Interested in joining our chapter? A Prospective Member must be sponsored by a current member of 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.

Each National Charity League (NCL, Inc.) Chapter has the ability to choose local philanthropies to make an impact on their community. We choose both community based non-profit organizations as well as organizations which provide charitable contributions and services.

For the 2019-2020 year, our Nutmeg Chapter volunteered 5136 hours of community service to assist our local philanthropies.

Some of the community based organizations we support include:

The Aldrich Museum

Meals on Wheels

SPHERE

New Pond Farm

Ridgefield Operation Animal Rescue (ROAR)

Keeler Tavern

Family and Children’s Aid

Ridgefield Community Playhouse

Special Olympics

Laurel Ridge Healthcare Center

Ann’s Place

Necessities

Founder’s Hall

The Ridgefield Community Center

Woodcock Nature Center

ACT of CT

Rock ‘n Rescue

Operation Gratitude

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

Community Service

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.

We work with the following philanthropies:

ACT of Connecticut
Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
American Heart Association
Ann’s Place – The Home of I Can
Compassionate Ridgefield
Downtown Rdgd/Chamber of Commerce
Family & Children’s Aid
Food Pantry
Founders Hall
Habitat for Humanity
Hillside Food Outreach
Keeler Tavern
Laurel Ridge Heath Care Center
League of Women Voters
Letters to the Troops
Love For Our Elders
Meals on Wheels
Necessities
New Pond Farm
Operation Gratitude
Operation Homefront
R.O.A.R. / Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue
Rides for Ridgefield
Ridgefield Community Center
Ridgefield Guild of Artists
Ridgefield Library
Ridgefield Music & Arts Center
Ridgefield Playhouse/Ridgefield Center for Performing Arts
Ridgefield Thrift Shop
Rock ‘n Rescue
SPHERE
The Kindness Campaign
The New American Dream Foundation
United Way
Woodcock Nature Center

As future leaders, we continually strive to build stronger ties with our community and the individuals within it. It is through this understanding that we grow and develop broader worldviews that will shape and support our lives. We celebrate our history through traditions that honor the past while serving the future. Volunteer activities of our Chapter have included:

Delivering meals to homebound community members for Meals on Wheels

Writing letters to our troops for Operation Gratitude and Letters to the Troops

Jewelry making with members of SPHERE

Escorting athletes during the Special Olympics games

Collecting food donations for the Ridgefield Food Pantry

Creating care packages for Necessities for women battling breast cancer

Assisting with events for the elderly at Laurel Ridge Healthcare Center

Holiday gift wrapping at the Danbury Mall to support Habitats for Humanity

Assisting Rock ‘n Rescue on kitty adoption days

Dying eggs for New Pond Farm’s annual Easter egg hunt

Leadership Development

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

President: Bridget Ginty
Secretary: Jenny Phair
Treasurer: Nhu Bragg
Melissa De Brino
Parliamentarian: Tamra Rosenfeld
Vice President Communications: Elizabeth Fogerty
Vice President Membership: Jennifer Hansen
Angie Breitenbach
Vice President Patroness Activities: Kathleen Murdock
Vice President Philanthropy: Norma Bernard
Janine Olsen
Vice President Provisionals: Jeanne Goldberg
Vice President Ticktockers: Kimberly Winkeleer

NCL, Inc. provides Patronesses with leadership opportunities such as serving on the Nutmeg Chapter Board of Directors, acting as a liaison with our community based philanthropies, serving on committees which keep our Chapter running smoothly, and as leadership models for our Ticktocker grade level groups.

One of the pillars of NCL,Inc. for our Ticktockers is Leadership Development. Officers are elected and appointed annually for each grade level. Ticktockers have many opportunities to take on leadership roles through committee work, as well. Girls learn to follow parliamentary procedure for meetings, which will help them in both their personal and professional lives. Specific areas of age-appropriate development are outlined for each of the six grade levels (grades 6 through 12).

For example, our 10th graders learn:

Conducting meetings (creating agendas, working on committees, listening and understanding how to act in a formal meeting)

Life skills (dating safety, personal safety, car safety, defensive driving)

Interview skills (job interview practice and etiquette)

Testing skills (PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP)

How to take charge of their college/career planning

Cultural Experiences

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

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 world views that will shape and support our lives. We celebrate our history through traditions that honor the past while serving the future. Activities of our Chapter include:

Self defense classes

College consultant speaker

Visiting the Tenement Museum in NYC

Learning car maintenance

Learning about International cultures and foods

Healthy eating habits from a nutritionist

Avoiding peer pressure/drug and alcohol awareness

How to write a proper thank you letter

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