About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Port City 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 Arlington, Alexandria, Springfield, Crystal City, VA or Washington, D.C. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Port City aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

OUR THREE PILLARS

The three pillars of our six year (7th-12th grade) NCL experience for mothers and daughters are Community Service, Leadership Development and Cultural Enrichment.

THE TICKTOCKER EXPERIENCE

We are dedicated to providing our daughters, “Ticktockers”, with a developmental program that provides opportunities for each young woman to learn the joy of serving others, to grow aware of and respect a wide array of cultural traditions to develop life skills, maturity, confidence and compassion, and to make friends while engaging in chapter activities in a safe, comfortable, and age-appropriate environment. We believe that this well-rounded NCL experience will inspire and empower our daughters to succeed as confident and socially-aware contributors in their communities.

Ticktockers are divided into classes based on their year of high school graduation. Each Ticktocker class has Board Officers and Committee Members. The Ticktockers are trained in parliamentary procedure and conduct their own meetings, with the support of a small number of Patronesses known as Grade Level Advisors (GLAs).

All Ticktockers hold jobs within their class. There are traditional board officer roles such as President, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, etc. Additional committee jobs include roles such as developing leadership topics/training, organizing philanthropy activities, and planning for special events such as our annual Mother/Daughter Tea.

Ticktockers often meet together as a larger group and take part in a wide range of events… many involving helping our philanthropic partners.

We often bring all Ticktockers together for presentations or seminars touching on our organization’s pillars of philanthropy, leadership and culture. Topics for these might include: focus on the mission of a specific philanthropy, college preparation, communication skills, community leadership, mindfulness, mental health, physical health and diversity/inclusion. 

THE PATRONESS EXPERIENCE

We mothers, “Patronesses”, are dedicated to deepening the mother-daughter bond and spending time with our daughters while watching them grow into strong, capable and compassionate young women. We enjoy teaching our daughters how rewarding it is to actively contribute to various community philanthropies in ways that bring out their strengths and challenge them to be their best selves.  We also enjoy the friendship and camaraderie of getting to know and work with other women in our community… and we Patronesses attempt to gather socially throughout the year to further deepen friendships. 
 

MONTHLY MEETINGS

The Port City Chapter plans monthly meetings from September through May for both Ticktockers and Patronesses, which may or may not take place together. Ticktocker meetings address age-appropriate topics of interest and may include guest speakers or hands on activities. Each class year of Ticktockers meets separately. Patroness meetings are an opportunity for guest speakers to address topics of interest to mothers, such as teen support and wellbeing, as well as the management of the chapter, through committee meetings.

 

PHILANTHROPY EVENTS

Ticktockers and Patronesses must fulfill an annual philanthropy hours requirement by attending volunteer events scheduled with the Port City chapter’s approved philanthropy partners.

 

MOTHER-DAUGHTER AWARDS TEA

The Mother-Daughter Awards Tea is an NCL, Inc. tradition that all members are required to attend. Ticktockers take on responsibilities for planning this annual event, and in the process learn planning and organizational skills, budgeting as well as etiquette – both the rules and the reasoning behind the rules. It is a great opportunity for the girls to spend time with members from other classes in a fun environment.

 

PATRONESS SOCIAL

At the beginning of each year we plan a Patroness Social in order to foster community and friendship between all Moms and to welcome our new Patronesses to our chapter.  Patronesses might also get together for social activities in smaller groups throughout the year by their daughter’s graduation class year.

 

OUR CHAPTER HISTORY

The Port City Chapter of NCL, Inc. was formed in May 2017 and has grown to a chapter of more than 250 active Patronesses and Ticktockers. Since our inception, our members have logged thousands of hours helping our chosen Community Philanthropy Partners and enriching our community. We are proud of the work we do and the impact that our chapter is having on our community! It is especially rewarding to see the impact that our daughters are having on their community and the impact that their philanthropy work is having on our daughters!

Our chapter has received the White Rose Chapter Award for the 2020-2021 year. We have completed our annual requirements, and went above and beyond for our community. We are so proud of the work that the Port City Chapter has done to improve and enrich ourselves and our community!

 

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.

membershipportcity@nclonline.org

While not required, you may be interested in attending one of our Membership Information Sessions which are typically held during the months of January and February.  Please inquire with our Vice President of Membership to receive details.

 If you are ready to apply, please note our Membership Drive dates below and complete the appropriate application form:

   – Priority Legacy Applications – due January 14

   – Non-Legacy Membership Applications – submission period January 15 – March 1

Please understand that membership opportunities are dependent on chapter openings.

 We look forward to hearing from you!

REQUIREMENTS

PATRONESSES

• 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

 

TICKTOCKERS

7th Grade – 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

8th Grade – 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

9th Grade – 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

10th Grade – 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

11th Grade – 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

12th Grade – 15 Philanthropy and 10 Leadership hours total

 

*REQUIREMENTS FOR PATRONESSES AND TICKTOCKERS ARE MEASURED FROM June 1 TO May 31.  ALL HOURS OBLIGATIONS MUST BE FULFILLED BY May 31.
 
Attendance Requirements: The Annual Tea is a required event for all members. Ticktockers are required to attend six (6) monthly grade level meetings each year. Patronesses are required to attend five (5) meetings per year.  

 

*ALL PATRONESSES ARE EXPECTED TO SERVE AS A BOARD MEMBER, GLA, PHILANTHROPY LIASON OR COMMITTEE CHAIR AT LEAST ONE TIME DURING THEIR CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP…

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:

• Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS)
• Alive!
• All Ages Read Together
• Alzheimer’s Association
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Be the Good
• Carpenter’s Shelter
• Child and Family Network Services
• Disaster Response
• Honor Flight – Washington Reagan
• InspireLit
• Martha’s Table
• Mattie’s Miracle Cancer Foundation
• National Breast Center Foundation
• Operation Gratitude
• The Miracle League of Alexandria
• Together We Bake
• Variety DC – The Children’s Charity
• Wreaths Across America

 

Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS)   View

Alzheimer’s Association View

Alive!  View

American Heart Association  View

American Red Cross  View

Be The Good View

The Carpenter’s Shelter View

Honor Flight    View

InspireLit  View

Martha’s Table   View

Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation   View

National Breast Center Foundation    View

The Miracle League of Alexandria    View

Operation Gratitude View

Wreaths Across America    View

Variety DC – The Children’s Charity View

 and others…

Port City is so proud to primarily focus on local community philanthropy partners to help create an immediate impact upon our local community! 

We also proudly partner with a few worthy national organizations championed by NCL, Inc.  We feel that the combination of serving both types of organizations helps us to serve (and to teach our daughters’ to serve) at both a local and national level!

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: Cori Woods
• President Elect: Christine Friedberg
• Secretary: Rachelle Barbet
• Treasurer: Leah Namoune
• Parliamentarian: Jane Spence
• Vice President Communications: Kathryn Denis
• Vice President Membership: Courtney French
  Sarah Lipson
• Vice President Philanthropy: Jennifer Desiderio
  Kimberly Nguyen
• Vice President New Members: Elizabeth Shaw
  Tonia Gregory
• Vice President Ticktockers: Joy Pochatila
• Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Heather Starek
  Taylor Kiland

Members have opportunities to engage in experiences that build essential skills, such as confidence, consensus and team building, event planning, conflict resolution and parliamentary procedure.  All members (both Patronesses and Ticktockers are required to “have a job” and thus, play a contributing role to our chapter each year.  This encourages active participation by all members!

 

Meet the 2025-26 Board of Directors: 

President: Dawn Stump
President-Elect: Cori Woods
VP Ticktockers: Blaise Hazelwood
Treasurer: Leah Namoune
Compliance Officer: Cori Woods
Co VP New Members: Mari Adams & Tonia Gregory 
Secretary: Rachelle Barbet
Parliamentarian: Ellen Wilson
Co-VP Philanthropy: Christine Friedberg & Kim Nguyen
VP Membership: Sarah Lipson
VP Communications: Katie Denis
Co-VP Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Heather Starek & Jennifer Desiderio

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.

We are constantly in search of exciting cultural experiences within our community to help our daughters grow!  We strive to identify at least one cultural experience a year for each class of Ticktockers to participate in… including plays, tours, performances and other culturally-enriching activities!

2025-26 Chapter Calendar