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

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:

• ACT of Connecticut
• Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
• Alzheimer’s Association
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Ann’s Place – The Home of I Can
• Compassionate Ridgefield
• Cornerstone Home and Gardens, Inc
• Disaster Response
• Downtown Rdgd/Chamber of Commerce
• Family & Children’s Aid
• Food Pantry
• Founders Hall
• Habitat for Humanity
• Jericho Partnership
• Keeler Tavern
• Laurel Ridge Heath Care Center
• League of Women Voters
• Letters to the Troops
• Love For Our Elders
• Mary’s Org
• Meals on Wheels
• Necessities
• New Pond Farm
• New York Blood Center
• Operation Gratitude
• Project Linus
• 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 Theater Barn
• Ridgefield Thrift Shop
• Rock ‘n Rescue
• Special Olympics
• The Greens at Cannondale
• The Kindness Campaign

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

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: Norma Bernard
• Treasurer: Debbie Johnston
• Parliamentarian: Tamra Rosenfeld
• Vice President Communications: Elizabeth Fogerty
• Vice President Membership: Kathleen Murdock
  Kimberly Begonja
• Vice President Philanthropy: Emily Mills
• Vice President Provisionals: Jeanne Goldberg
• Vice President Ticktockers: Kimberly Winkeleer
• Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Jennifer Fixler

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

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 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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