Based in La Jolla-Pacific Beach, the Seaside Chapter of National Charity League, Inc., which fosters mother-daughter relationships through community service, is looking to expand via membership opportunities.

The nonprofit chapter, open to those who reside in or attend school in central San Diego and surrounding areas, is now accepting applications for mothers and daughters entering grades 7-10.

“It is a national and multi-generational charity organization with local branches,” said Rachel McFarlin, Seaside Chapter spokesperson on the group’s communications team. “We want mother-daughter teams to serve in the community. That’s our main emphasis. Collectively, the National Charity League has donated three million hours to more than 6,000 charities in the United States.”

A short list of the philanthropies the Seaside Chapter’s members support includes ALS Association, Birch Aquarium, Challenged Athletes Foundation, I Love a Clean San Diego, Kitchens for Good, La Jolla Kiwanis, Lawrence Family JCC, Miracle Babies, Traveling Stories, the USO, just to name a few.

National Charity League Seaside Chapter president Jean Kim talked about the charitable group and its mission in San Diego. “I love the fact that National Charity League Seaside empowers girls to develop growth in the three pillars of philanthropy, leadership, and culture, but also in areas like connections, purpose, and passions,” Kim said.

“Our emphasis this year is on the ‘TikToker’ experience – providing more practical, worthwhile opportunities that align with their interests and future career paths, both internally and with partner philanthropies. In the end, we want them to be active stakeholders of National Charity League Seaside, where they know their feedback and participation directly impact the evolution of the chapter, whether it’s event programming, the philanthropies we volunteer with, or ways to promote the chapter as a whole,” Kim said.

McFarlin said the Seaside Chapter is all about “empowering young women to succeed. We want well-rounded contributors to society. This organization trains young women to participate in their community, and in philanthropy. We also do fun activities that are based on culture and art. It is about a chance for mothers and daughters to bond, as well as to teach girls how to run an organization.”

McFarlin noted National Charity League, as an organization, offers young girls a template to emulate and follow involving “a structure that mirrors adults,” i.e. an organization with leaders, a president, a vice president, a secretary, etc. She said women in National Charity League all take turns fulfilling different roles.

“We try to keep it fun,” she pointed out. “The main purpose is to teach young girls to give back in the community, and to give them an awareness that there are bigger things outside of their school world.”

National Charity League chapters are all dues-paying and operate on a sliding financial scale. The group is open to all qualifying girls, their moms, and female mentors. Though the Seaside Chapter is based along the central coast including the Peninsula, it also has members from as far away as Poway and Scripps Ranch.

McFarlin added Seaside presently has about 250 members countywide. She noted the group also participates with other nonprofits, like the La Jolla Kiwanis Club. Seaside Chapter girls have participated in the pancake breakfast Kiwanis sponsors annually to give back to the coastal community.

“We really look for ways to drive teams of mothers and daughters into these organizations to help fill their needs,” McFarlin said, adding participating girls get exposed to lots of new influences and activities.

“Our girls have seen a Broadway theater show, taken a dance class, even taken self-defense, pottery-making, and sushi-cooking classes together,” she said. “We like to integrate them into things involving culture and art.”

GET INVOLVED

National Charity League Seaside Chapter informational meetings are being held on Sunday, Nov. 20, and Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. in La Jolla. These meetings are recommended but not required. For more details, email [email protected] or visit nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/seaside.