By Daily Press staff
Eight mothers and daughters from the National Charity League of Los Angeles served Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings to 39 mothers and their children at St. Joseph Center’s Infant Toddler Development Center last week. “[The NCL] stepped in at the last minute,” said Maria Alderete, SJC’s coordinator of volunteers. “I don’t know what we would have done without them.”
The NCL is a national nonprofit organization of mothers and daughters who join together in community projects to foster a sense of responsibility in the girls and to strengthen their mother-daughter relationships. The NCL girls, grades eight through 12, have helped at St. Joseph Center for the past four years by caring for children, serving meals and mentoring fifth-and sixth-graders after school.
“We get the great pleasure of helping people,” said Judith Schley, the LA Chapter’s philanthropic chairperson for the 12th grade. “It’s a lesson of compassion that we share with our daughters.”
“They are an inspiration to us,” said Leticia Garcia-Greenman, director of family services at SJC. “Without the volunteer efforts of organizations like the National Charity League, the center would not be able to provide our ongoing continuum of services to men, women and children with special needs.”
SJC has 11 programs, providing emergency services, child care, case management, employment training and senior services to more than 8,000 men, women and children each year at eight sites throughout Venice, Santa Monica and West LA.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 3, 2003. Read the original PDF.