Westport

About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Westport 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 Westport-Weston area. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Westport aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

The Westport chapter of NCL was founded in 2006.  It has been going strong ever since with 6 full classes of Ticktockers each year from 7th grade through 12th grade.  For the 2019-2020 year, we earned the Blue Rose Chapter Award, the highest award level from NCL, Inc.  This means we completed our annual requirements, participated in #Giving Tuesday and the national philanthropy program and held a Sustainer Event.

               

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.

Our membership drive begins in November, although you can make enquiries any time throughout the year. We enroll girls entering grades 7-9 in the next school year. We hold potential member meet and greet information sessions in January. You must attend one of these sessions in order to submit an application. Fill out the membership inquiry form linked above, or contact our Membership Vice Presidents to register your interest.

  

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:

  • ABC House
  • Alzheimer’s Association
  • American Heart Association
  • American Red Cross
  • Caroline House
  • Circle of Care
  • CLASP
  • Connecticut Quest for Peace
  • Earthplace
  • ElderHouse
  • Feeding America
  • Gillespie Center (Homes with Hope)
  • Homes for the Brave
  • Lift The Lid
  • Lobsterfest
  • Mercy Learning Center
  • My Team Triumph
  • Person to Person
  • Save the Sound
  • Special Olympics
  • TAILS
  • The Carver
  • The Kindness Campaign
  • Wakeman Town Farm
  • Westport Animal Shelter Advocates (WASA)
  • Westport Center for Senior Activities
  • Westport Country Playhouse
  • Westport Dept. of Human Services
  • Westport Library

We have longstanding relationships with many local philanthropies including – 

Person to Person, Caroline House, The Carver, CLASP, Mercy Learning Center, Wakeman Town Farm, Westport Senior Center, Homes for the Brave, Gillespie Center, Earthplace, Westport Library, and many more.  

            

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: Ariane Trimuschat
  • President Elect: Christina McKay-DiChristina
  • Secretary: Lauren Keizer-Nathan
  • Treasurer: Aline Eastwick-Field
  • Parliamentarian: Natalie Drucker
  • Vice President Communications: Shannon Andersen
  • Vice President Membership: Carol Anderson
    Navida Greifenberger
  • Vice President Philanthropy: Heather Turk
    Jordan Razza
  • Vice President New Members: Ida Hsu
    Vina Lillvis
  • Vice President Ticktockers: Erica Serotta
    Yamini Menon
  • Sustainer Liaison: Lee Saveliff
  • Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Carissa Siegner
    Elizabeth Janis

One of the pillars of NCL is Leadership.  All of our members hold positions within the chapter.  Patronesses lead event committees, serve as liaison’s to each our philanthropies, or work with our girls directly as Grade Level Advisors in each Ticktocker classes.  The patronesses model leadership behavior for the Ticktockers.  In turn, the ticktockers serve in positions within their class – as meeting leaders, event committee chairs, recording secretaries.  We also have a Ticktocker Council which meets across all grades to plan and execute a annual all-Ticktocker event.  

Each ticktocker is given an opportunity at every meeting to speak and present in front of her peers.  This is a critical part of serving in the National Charity League.

   

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.

Each grade chooses how to enjoy cultural and arts experiences each year.   Our members prepare cultural dinners together and share family traditions..  To celebrate the arts, there are trips to art museums such as Grace Farms, the Bruce Museum, or Westport Center for the Arts.  They also attend plays at the Ridgefield theater or Staples Players together.  

 

NCL Westport Special Events

Unique experiences throughout the year include:

Welcome Back Picnic – An all-member event at Longshore Club Park, on the Long Island Sound, welcoming our new, incoming members and welcoming back our Patronesses and Ticktockers.

Annual Mother/Daughter Tea – Each fall, the Westport Chapter holds an annual Tea Party, with every grade level involved in the planning on some level: decor, invitations, entertainment, etc. The Awards Ceremony also takes place at the Tea.


Awards Ceremony – A celebration of all our hard work in the community. The Awards take place at the annual tea, and members are awarded for meeting philanthrpy hours above and beyond the minimum required. They are awarded in November for the previous year. Seniors receive their awards at the Senior Recognition event.

Senior Recognition – A beautiful send off to our senior class, thanking them for 6 years of service in our community through NCL. Each Senior Ticktocker gives their mother a flower and a short speech, thanking them for their support.

Senior Capstone – The Senior Ticktocker class spearheads a milestone project, together as a class for pne of our philanthropies. they are tasked with identifying the need, planning, bedgeting and coordinating all aspects through completion.

Big Sister/Little Sister – Our incoming 7th grade class Ticktockers are each paired with a Sophomore who reaches out with an introduction and is there to answer questions and help guide them as they start their NCL experience.

Big Sister/Little Sister events – Scavenger hunts, holiday wrapping parties, big sister tours of high school for incoming freshmen. Often Big Sisters and Little Sisters go caroling together for Homes with Hope at holiday time or serve in Person to Person’s food pantry.