Six years of service Six years of service (April 29, 2005)

National Charity League graduates celebrate community work
Rebecca Guyon

Family and friends joined the 13 mother-daughter graduates of the National Charity League at the Wente Tasting Room earlier this month to toast the culmination of six years of helping the community. As members of NCL, these women have contributed hundreds of hours of service to the community, while building their mother-daughter relationship.

"It was a lovely brunch and a great chance for the whole chapter to honor these graduates," said chapter president Claudia See.

This year's graduating class includes the following mother-daughter teams: Ashley and Karen Barberio-Kitt; Lauren and Susan Cambra; Christine and Maria Collins; Megan and Elizabeth Fryman; Jennifer and Vivian Grijalva; Ginny and Linda Hunter; Nicole and Pat Kramm; Allison and Esther McClay; Colleen and Teresa Rombach; Allison and Claudia See; Christine and Peggy Sobrero; Alyssa and Colleen Woods; and Erin and Rosemary Wylie.

NCL is a non-profit organization of mothers and daughters who do community service activities through local chapters across the country. The organization's mission is to foster mother-daughter relationships through community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.

Mothers and daughters can join when the daughter is in seventh grade and stay in the program through the daughter's senior year of high school. During the course of their six years, these recent NCL graduates have helped 16 organizations in the community.

"We give them the man power," See said. "If the Senior Center is having a dance, we help serve food, set-up and clean-up. If Meals on Wheels needs help, we're there to deliver the food. What we offer these organizations is our hard work."

Graduate Colleen Rombach worked with the Meals on Wheels program every week and said it was a highlight in her NCL experience.

"I really got to know the people who I was helping," she said. "I would spend time talking with them each week and it was fun learning about them."

Other organizations NCL has contributed services to include: Valley Humane, American Cancer Society, Juvenile Diabetes, March of Dimes, Pleasanton Convalescent Hospital, Ruby Hill Giving Thanks Charity, Taylor Foundation, American Heart Association, Tri-Valley Haven, Special Olympics, Pleasanton Unified School District, Booklegger, Easter Seals/ Kalidiscope, Discovery Shop, Hope Hospice Store and Open Heart Kitchen.

In addition to their philanthropy, NCL daughters, who are known as "tic tockers," help run the organization by taking on different jobs. Seniors are required to give 10 "league hours" a week and do things like budgeting, setting agendas and organizing events.

The Pleasanton chapter currently has 80 mothers and 95 daughters as members. NCL has 129 chapters nationwide and is comprised of 29,000 participants.

"It was a good opportunity to spend time with my mom," Rombach said. "And it's really fulfilling to know you are contributing to the community."

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