Texas Sage

About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Texas Sage 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 inside the 610 Loop in Houston or in Bellaire. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Texas Sage aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

The Texas Sage Chapter has 375 active and provisional members, and last year we collectively completed over 5,500 service hours.

Our focus is in connecting hearts, hands, and minds so that every community thrives. The NCL program empower its members to succeed as confident, well-rounded contributors to society while making a positive impact in the community they serve.

The NCL Experience

We are a multi-generational philanthropic organization of mothers and daughters who volunteer close to 3,000,000 hours annually to over 6,000 charities in the United States. We practice philanthropy which is the active effort to promote human welfare.

Our programming pillars include:

  • Philanthropy – Understanding and serving communities in partnership with local and national nonprofits.
  • Leadership – Building capable, courageous leaders through opportunities to learn, reflect and develop.
  • Culture – Preserving National Charity League traditions and core values while appreciating the growth that comes from connecting with different communities and cultures.

 The Ticktocker (Daughter) Experience

The Ticktockers experience is designed to be a small group leadership program that provides opportunities for young women to know the joy of helping others, mature and build confidence, and to make new friends while volunteering and participating in activities in a safe, comfortable, and age-appropriate environment. Ticktockers apply during their 6th grade year and participate in the six year program during their developmental and formative years between 7th and 12th grade.

The Patroness (Mother) Experience

The Patroness experience allows mothers to work alongside their daughters as they broaden their own prospective about the world around them. Patronesses also have the satisfaction of working with other talented women to help our Chapter thrive.

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.

Membership Drive Information

The Texas Sage membership drive runs from January 1st to mid-February each year. Around this time, Prospective members are required to attend an informational meeting (Open House) to better understand the sponsorship process, expectations for the membership, and philanthropic and financial obligations of the Chapter.

Please keep the following in mind during the Membership Process:

ELIGIBILITY: A prospective member must reside in (or attend school) inside the 610 Loop in Houston (or in Bellaire) and have a daughter currently in 6th grade.

TIMELINE: Applications for membership are only accepted during the Annual Membership Drive (January 1st through February 17th), and a Prospective Member may only apply to one Chapter.

For more information about the Membership Drive, please review the Membership Drive Timeline.

SPONSORSHIP: A Prospective Member must be sponsored by an Active Member, and co-sponsored by an Active, Provisional, or Sustainer Patroness Member in the Texas Sage Chapter. If you do not know anyone in the Texas Sage Chapter, please contact VP Membership at MembershipTexasSage@nclonline.org so that we can provide you with a courtesy sponsor.

OPEN HOUSE (Prospective Membership Informational Meetings): 

Interested mothers are required to attend one Open House.

Open House dates are as follows:

Wednesday, January 11th at 9:30 AM (3900 Inverness Drive)

Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 PM (3602 Robinhood Street)

Saturday, January 14 at 10:00 AM (2901 Albans Road)

Sign up for one of our Prospective Member Informational Meetings HERE.

APPLICATION: A prospective Member may only apply to one Chapter, and a formal application must be completed by the prospective patroness, sponsor, and co-sponsor. Once the application deadline is complete, a selection process will take place.

While it is our strong preference to accept all applicants, space in the chapter is limited and we cannot guarantee a spot to all applicants. If the number of applications exceeds the spaces available, all non-legacy applicants will be entered into a “blind draw” to determine membership.

QUESTIONS? Contact Tricia Georgiou, our Membership VP at MembershipTexasSage@nclonline.org.

What are the characteristics of a good NCL, Inc. Member??

  • She will make NCL a priority for herself and her daughter(s) and take her commitments to NCL seriously.
  • She will be a positive role model for her daughter(s) and other Ticktockers by exhibiting respect and consideration, both during NCL events and in other public settings when representing NCL.
  • She will fulfill all required philanthropy, league, committee, meeting, financial, leadership and other chapter obligations by the required due dates.
  • She understands the importance of all three programming pillars of NCL, Inc.: Philanthropy, Culture and Leadership.
  • She understands that by virtue of being a member of a local Chapter, she is affiliated with a federated system, which mandates the belief in the core values of NCL, Inc.
  • She will abide by all governing documents of the Chapter and NCL, Inc., including bylaws, policies and procedures.
  • She will protect the NCL brand by honoring its core values with integrity and excellence.

 

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
  • Baker Ripley – Neighborhood Centers
  • Books Beween Kids
  • Buffalo Bayou Partnership
  • Child Advocates
  • Children’s Museum
  • Disaster Response
  • Emergency Aid Coalition
  • Giving Tuesday
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Holly Hall Senior Living
  • Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
  • Houston Food Bank
  • Interfaith Ministries – Meals on Wheels
  • Kids’ Meals
  • Nehemiah Center
  • Operation Gratitude
  • Small Steps Nurturing Center
  • Texas Children’s Hospital
  • The Kindness Campaign
  • Triumph Over Kid Cancer
  • West U Little League Challenger

Local philanthropies supported by Texas Sage include:

  • Bayou Preservation Association
  • Books Between Kids
  • Brookwood Community
  • Child Advocates
  • Children’s Museum
  • Emergency Aid Coalition
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Holly Hall
  • Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
  • Houston Food Bank
  • Houston Welcomes Refugees
  • Interfaith Ministries-Meals on Wheels
  • Kid’s Meals
  • Nehemiah Center
  • Neighborhood Centers
  • Recipe for Success
  • Small Steps Nurturing Center
  • Texas Children’s Hospital
  • West University Little League (Challenger Program)

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: Brittany Weisser
  • President Elect: Courtney Tsao
  • Secretary: Lauren DeFrehn
  • Treasurer: Shannon Witz
  • Parliamentarian: Grace Ebaugh
  • Vice President Communications: Jessica Bartley
  • Vice President Membership: Stacey Lafitte
  • Vice President Philanthropy: Suzanne Hays
  • Vice President Provisionals: Nicole Mordy
  • Vice President Ticktockers: Courtney Bucy
  • Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Stephanie Kusinski

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.