In a league of their own

Almost 14,000 volunteer hours in a year and $170,000 adds up to a lot

of charity, but it’s something Carolyn McKitterick, president of the

National Charity League’s Newport Beach chapter, and the 160 mothers

and 180 daughters who belong to the League excel at.

Whether it’s talking with mothers at a home for abused women or

helping at a soup kitchen, the mothers and daughters of the chapter

receive their own gifts as they give back to Newport-Mesa.

They donate time and money to up to 20 philanthropies in the area,

including groups such as Human Options/Second Step, a local home for

abused women and children. At the same time, the mothers in the

League continue developing bonds with their daughters, who

participate in a six-year program of philanthropic work, educational

activities and cultural events.

Much of the money -- such as the $170,000 raised in fiscal year

2003-04 -- is raised from the league’s Ticktocker Thrift Shop at 540

W. 19th St. in Costa Mesa, which made about $525 a day on average

from the summer of 2003 to that of 2004, selling items donated by the

women and daughters of the League. Women in the League range in age

from in their 30s to their 50s -- made up of stay-at-home and single

mothers, former teachers, accountants, lawyers, secretaries,

counselors and doctors.

Altogether, their work helps sustain a chapter established in

1957, and maintains the reach of the entire league, which evolved out

of mother-daughter service in Los Angeles in 1938. McKitterick, a

former litigator who specialized in employment law, sat down at the

newly renovated thrift shop with the Pilot’s Ryan Carter to chat a

little about the chapter, which serves Newport-Mesa.

What is the league’s mission?

The mission of the league is to foster mother-daughter

relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community

service, leadership, development and cultural experiences. And I

think it’s noteworthy that our founders didn’t choose to call us

“National Leadership League” or “National Culture League.” They chose

“National Charity League,” stating clearly that charity is the most

important prong of our mission.

In what areas locally have you found your organization to be most

helpful?

I think where we are sitting today [Ticktocker Thrift Shop] is one

of the most important places for our chapter, because day in and day

out, year in and year out we have cheerful moms and daughters running

this place. We serve the community here on 19th Street. Some of the

customers come in very frequently and become almost like friends of

ours. We don’t have an office per se, so this is the closest thing

we’ve got. And we have many of our meetings here. So, I’d say the

thrift shop is one of the most important facets of what we do.

But if you look at purely the financial aspect of where our money

goes, I think the other two places that are significant are Human

Options/Second Step, which is a residence for abused women and

children, and High Hopes, an organization dedicated to rehabilitating

people with serious brain injuries.

We give the most of our funds to those two philanthropies, but we

have a list of 19 or 20 philanthropies total. Whether we give money

or hours, they are all worthy and precious to us.

How do you keep it going and maintain this idea of service?

I think that for me, and I can probably speak for most of us, I

felt a responsibility to teach my daughters the importance of charity

and hope and love and generosity and humility, and that a smile, a

kind word and a gift can change people’s lives. Plus, because the

organization has been around a while, we are a well-oiled machine.

Take us through how the mother and daughter serve within the

organization?

Each daughter has to work a minimum of 15 hours of service per

school year. Every grade level has a particular charity they support.

So, the girls are exposed to six different charities if they are

there from seventh to 12th grade.

The moms are very fortunate to have this thrift shop. The mom’s

service hours are in the thrift shop. The daughters have meetings,

and the moms have one meeting a month. Many grade levels are

performing philanthropically during their meetings.

What league activities do you do together with your daughters?

My daughters [Katie, in the 11th grade and Kelly in the 10th

grade] and I do the Race for the Cure every year. We also work at

least one thrift shop shift together each summer and at the soup

kitchen and Second Step parties. The moms organize the kids’

philanthropic activities and accompany them during their service.

What’s the best experience you’ve had with your daughters in the

organization?

A Second Step party. Once a month, a grade level is responsible

for sending a number of moms and daughters to the location where

these children and mothers live. The League moms just talk to the

moms, as if we knew each other. Our daughters play with the children

of the moms at Second Step at a different part of the site. My

daughters have not failed to have fallen in love with a child that’s

been a resident of Second Step.

What have these kinds of experiences done for your own

relationships with your daughters?

Time spent with our daughters of any kind is precious. To be able

to do things with my children that are inherently of great value, as

the things we do here, is especially important.

Why is service important?

I think it’s: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” The phrase

that we need to give back is overused and perhaps sounds trite, but I

do believe it is our responsibility to give back. We’ve got many of

our fellow human beings in our own backyard who need extra help. I

don’t know whether it’s more valuable for them or for my girls. I see

a depth of character in them that perhaps comes from great

grandparents or a great church, but I attribute a lot of their

strength and their heart to what they’ve done in National Charity

League.

Why did you get involved?

I’d never done enough charity work. I’d worked real hard and I had

my kids. They were close in age, and seemingly that’s all I did, was

raise my girls. But at a certain point, I knew I needed to get out

and help people. The timing was right. That was 10 years ago.