Paper bags and ribbons were piled high on a table in the front of the Roundhouse Aquarium in Manhattan Beach as young girls and boys ran around to look at the different aquatic life in the glass tanks. When the kids turned their attention to the table, members of the National Mothers and Daughters Charity League (NCL) gave them step-by-step instructions on how to use the supplies to create their own toy jellyfish, turning their trip to the aquarium into a memorable experience.
“It was one of my first ever volunteer jobs,” freshman Kenzie Kish said. “We set up a table with markers and ribbons and had kids make little jellyfish. I know I loved the aquarium as a kid, but sometimes other little kids don’t find it as interesting. So if they find something that they enjoy, then they will pay more attention to the actual meaning behind the aquarium.”
For Kish, helping organizations in her community has always been her passion, either through donating money or volunteering at different establishments. So when an opportunity came up for her to join the NCL, she immediately took it.
“I joined in seventh grade, which is the first year that you can join the program. It runs through senior year of high school, so I’m about halfway through volunteering, and it’s such a rewarding experience,” Kish said.
The NCL is a philanthropic organization of mothers and daughters that annually provides close to three million hours of community service to 6,000 charities in the United States. The organization also supports over 25 non-profits in the local community, such as the Beach Cities Toy Drive, the Cancer Support Community South Bay, and the Lovejoy Foundation. According to freshman Kayla Bullen, members such as Kish spend about 50-100 hours a year volunteering at different organizations around the South Bay and meet with other NCL members to prepare for work on the various philanthropy projects they carry out in the community.
“There are a lot of different positions within the NCL, and we all work together to help the community,” Kish said. “I remember being called one day by my friend who’s in the NCL, and she said, ‘I’m at a meeting with all the VPs and we decided that you would be the best for the VP of Communications next year.’ And I was like, ‘Sure, why not.”
Once she steps into her role as Vice President, Kish will be in charge of communicating important meetings, dates, and locations to the members of the NCL, as well as sending out announcements in collaboration with the mothers in the group. Another position in the NCL is digital media, which Bullen currently holds.
“This year, I’m the NCL’s digital media person, so at all of our meetings I take photos and send them to our social media chair to be posted online,” Bullen said. “But my first year I was in charge of telling everyone etiquette tips during our meetings, like how to be polite and greet people nicely.”
After leaving Girl Scouts, Bullen and her mother joined the NCL to continue community volunteering, finding multiple new places to help out all around the South Bay.
“My favorite place to volunteer at is a place called Sunrise Senior Living. I play games with the senior citizens, like bingo, and they taught me how to play blackjack,” Bullen said. “I help them with parties and deliver the residents’ favorite snacks, so I’ve formed a lot of fun friendships with the people there.”
Currently, the members of the NCL are focused on expanding their organization by integrating more students from Redondo into their program, as most of their volunteers currently reside in Manhattan Beach.
“I’m hoping it’s going to get a lot bigger and reach a lot of people, because not many people know about the NCL at the moment,” Bullen said. “But personally, I just want to make more connections and get more life experience. With volunteering you make a lot of good relationships, and it just feels nice helping people.”