By Joyce Coronel
Cate Baskin was only in seventh grade when she uttered the words her mother will never forget.
“Mom, I’m a changed person.”
That was after Mona Baskin and her daughter volunteered at the Foundation for the Blind as members of the National Charity League, an organization founded in 1925 and dedicated to philanthropy and building the mother-daughter relationship.
The 62,000-member league that spans 26 states has an East Valley chapter with Tempe and West Chandler members. Mona Baskin said she and her daughter are beginning their third year with the group.
“My daughter started out kind of shy and quiet,” Mona said, but the confidence and perspective she’s gained through NCL have been a game-changer.”
Members of the group are expected to engage in leadership and cultural activities as well as community service while working alongside their mothers.
“It’s given her confidence and social awareness, and just humanity, that we’re all in this community and we as women can be leaders; we can support each other and we can make our community a better place,” Mona said.
Cate, 14, says her favorite philanthropic work so far has been with the Foundation for the Blind. She remembers a young girl who asked her to explain the color purple.
“I had to explain how it looked—like butterflies, the sunset, with a green meadow. It really touched my heart and I grew so much spiritually from that,” Cate said.
“I feel much more grateful now. I have been given so much and with all my many blessings, I can benefit this world in as positive way and not take all my blessings for granted.”
Riya Kalara, a senior at Corona del Sol High School, has been involved with NCL since the seventh grade. “I think the best part of NCL is that it’s opened my eyes to a lot different things,” Kalara said.
“Every month I get to go because of NCL and visit all these different places. They’re different each time which is so exciting.”
She’s particularly enjoyed volunteering at Paz de Cristo, a soup kitchen in Mesa.“You get out of your bubble and you really get to see what’s out there,” Kalara said.
“You find those things where you can help out and make a difference. That’s what they teach you at NCL.”
Volunteering at local immunization clinics exposed her to the medical field and Kalara said she’s hoping for a career in health care administration. She said NCL has also had a positive effect on her relationship with her mother.
“I think it’s brought me closer to my mom, just being able to see those things together and being able to enjoy volunteer organizations and opportunities together,” Kalara said. “There’s more to talk about and interact with.”
Ali Cohen, who’s beginning her fourth year with NCL, has an older sister who graduated from Corona in 2016 and who was also involved with NCL. She said the group has helped her gain a larger perspective on life.
“It’s nice to meet people outside of your normal sphere of friends. It’s usually not an opportunity presented to a lot of high schoolers because you’re in your own little high-school bubble,” Cohen said. She called her experience with the philanthropic projects transformative and humbling.
“There are people with a plight so much more severe than you, people who struggle every single day,” Cohen said. “It’s a reminder of the constant blessings that I see every day in my life and how lucky I am to have such a supportive family and community.”
NCL has monthly meetings and the girls are grouped by their future high school graduation year. Cate Baskin, for example, is with the class of 2020. The girls, who are in grades 7-12, learn about public speaking and leadership through the monthly board meetings.
There’s a membership drive underway now with a prospective membership meeting slated for Oct. 16. The East Valley chapter is accepting applications for a limited number of openings from mothers with daughters who will be entering 7th through 10th grades in the fall of 2017 and who live in Tempe, Mesa and north Chandler.
Prospective members can apply for membership at eastvalley.nationalcharityleague.org/ or contact Mona Baskin at eastvalleyncl4@gmail.com
