Costa Mesa-based National Charity League Inc. Holds Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference

More than 500 dedicated women from across the country representing National Charity League Inc. (NCL) Chapters in 16 states met recently in Bellevue, Wash., at the premier mother-daughter organization’s annual meeting and leadership conference. The organization’s national headquarters is in Costa Mesa, California.

According to Hillary Niblo, executive director of NCL Inc., the meeting underscored the importance of social responsibility and volunteerism as practiced by more than 40,000 NCL Chapter members.

In the 2008-2009 fiscal year alone, members volunteered a cumulative total of 966,056 hands-on hours with local charities. Using the 2008 published statistic that each volunteer hour is worth $20.25, NCL Chapters provided a value of $19,562,634 to communities nationwide.

Highlights of the event included keynote addresses by Laurie Ann Goldman, the chief executive of Spanx Inc., the nation’s fast-growing body-shaping intimate apparel line, and by author and philanthropist Bonnie Brown, who was a part-time masseuse at Google when the company was a fledgling start-up and later, because of the stock she received, retired as a multi-millionaire. She is the president of a private foundation, the sole purpose of which is to provide relief and ministry to needy people around the world

Additionally, four NCL awards were given out. The Innovative Program award went to VISTA IRVINE CHAPTER, (Orange County); the Spirit of NCL award went to the District 7 Council (Dallas, Texas, area); the Outstanding Ticktocker Program award went to Tucson Chapter (Ariz.); and the Outstanding Chapter award went to Capistrano Coast Chapter (Orange County). The conference participants brought and donated several thousand boxes of Crayola crayons to Seattle Children’s Hospital and Operation Crayon for the hospital’s Child Life Department.

Established in Los Angeles, in 1925, and incorporated in 1958, National Charity League Inc. is the premier mother-daughter organization, serving women and their daughters in grades 7 to 12. The NCL Experience inspires and empowers women to succeed as confident, well-rounded and socially aware contributors in their communities. The membership organization has more than 156 Chapters that thrive in 16 states, providing valuable philanthropic, leadership and cultural experiences to its members and striving to meet critical needs of local communities through hands-on volunteer support.

For more information, visit www.nationalcharityleague.org.