National Charity League, Inc. Moonlight Chapter holding Annual Membership Drive

The Moonlight Chapter of National Charity League, Inc. (NCL), a nonprofit national mother-daughter volunteer organization with local chapters, has announced its Annual Membership Drive and has begun accepting applications from women with daughters currently in 6th through 9th grade. The Moonlight Chapter is comprised of nearly 250 members who reside in North County San Diego.

Moonlight Chapter mother-daughter teams volunteered just under 4,700 philanthropy hours in the 2019-2020 year for 24 philanthropic organizations in the community, including the Solana Center, Surfing Madonna Oceans Project, Fill-a-Belly, San Diego Botanical Garden for the Garden of Lights, and SNAP, the Spay-Neuter Action Project of San Diego.

The Moonlight Chapter prides itself on being “all about the philanthropy” and connecting with the community in a relaxed and informal way befitting of the North County San Diego culture.

“At Moonlight, we aren’t too formal. We save our focus for doing good around the community,” said Amy Brown, president of NCL Moonlight. “We pride ourselves on collaborating with our moms and daughters to come up with interesting and impactful ideas for local nonprofits that need our help.”

This has proven especially challenging during COVID-19, when most onsite volunteer activities have been suspended. Still, the chapter has stepped up, adding new philanthropy opportunities that can easily be done from home, such as writing letters to Honor Flight San Diego veterans, and collecting food, clothing and book donations for various organizations.

Recently, the chapter participated in the Heart & Stroke Walk Digital Experience to support its National Philanthropy Initiative for the American Heart Association. The “COVID-19 pivot” shifted San Diego’s group walk in Balboa Park to a virtual one with participants selecting their preferred route.

One-hundred and eighty-six members in the chapter joined the fun and walked throughout the county with their pets and loved ones. On behalf of the chapter’s commitment to helping the fight against heart disease and stroke, a $500 donation was made.

In August the chapter collected 70 gorgeous backpacks that were overflowing with love. These were distributed through the Fill-A-Belly organization.

The chapter recently had the opportunity to assist The Elizabeth Hospice in making grief support bags for approximately 100 children in San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County. Seventy-seven of the chapter members provided the bags that included art supplies, snacks and inspirational art for kids attending virtual support groups.

The Elizabeth Hospice’s grief counselors and trained volunteers are available to support children through bereavement and help them regain hope. They provide comfort and education about grief, as well as proven tips and coping strategies. Currently, their grief counseling sessions and grief support groups for kids are being conducted via Zoom video conferencing until the COVID-19 health restrictions have been lifted.

For more information, prospective members are encouraged to visit the Moonlight Chapter’s website at https://www.nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/moonlight/ or send an email to membershipmoonlight@ncl.org.

Membership drive details:

• Timeline: Applications for membership are only accepted during the Annual Membership Drive from October to mid-January each year.

• Eligibility: A prospective member shall reside within North County San Diego and have a daughter currently in (6th through 9th grade).

• Prospective member meetings: Interested mothers are encouraged to attend one of the prospective member meetings being held in November. To receive an invitation, contact the Chapter at membershipmoonlight@nclonline.org.

• Applications : Completed applications are due by Jan. 15, 2021.