Long before TikTok video influencers claimed international fame, girls participating in the National Charity League (NCL) had adopted the moniker “Tick-Tocker” while working to make the world a better place.
Within the chapters of the NCL, daughters are affectionately referred to as “Tick-Tockers” because, recognizing that the years from sixth through 12th grade are fleeting and that time is “tick-tocking” away, the NCL gives mother-daughter pairs opportunities to volunteer together during the daughters’ last six years of school. Girls must join in middle school in order to participate throughout high school, usually joining in sixth grade and beginning participation in seventh grade.
According to NCL mother and Beaumont-Wilshire resident Laura Chehab, NCL fosters the mother-daughter relationship while developing leadership skills in girls and women, primarily through philanthropic work. “Our three pillars are leadership, cultural experiences, and philanthropy,” states Chehab. Both of Chehab’s daughters, Millie and Maya, volunteer with their mom at various philanthropic organizations throughout Portland.
Beaumont-Wilshire residents Colby Lawn and Amy Donahue and their daughters, Ella Ferber and Hazel McKean, respectively, are also members of the Portland NCL chapter. They enjoy the opportunity that NCL activities give them to meet NCL members from all over Portland.
Moms Chehab, Lawn, and Donahue all agree that the NCL experience provides mothers and daughters with the opportunity to practice skills such as public speaking, role-modeling, and mentoring, while engaging in community service. Even more important are the benefits each member experiences by performing community service. Moms and daughters develop friendships with new people, learn to be accountable to themselves and to others, and, perhaps most important, experience compassion for those who are less fortunate.
Word-of-mouth and some advertising make people aware of NCL. Chehab stated the League now has over 290 chapters in 32 states, with 200,000 members and alumnae. Annually, members donate over 2.7 million volunteer hours.
“Together with our daughters, we volunteer at various philanthropic organizations around Portland,” Chehab said. “Some of these include the Oregon Food Bank, Dress for Success, the Oregon Humane Society, and many other organizations in the local area.”
Meetings and activities are scheduled to accommodate the girls’ school commitments and mothers’ work schedules. Monthly meetings are held on Sundays for the girls and Tuesday evenings for the mothers.
NCL activities can be listed on college applications and can lead to other opportunities. The minimum participation requirement is 15 hours per year. The organization charges an annual fee that covers all costs for the year. There is a limit of 30 girls per grade, and the Portland NCL chapter has room to grow.
The organization’s Portland membership drive opens on January 15, 2026. Applications are available for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade girls. The application deadline is March 1, 2026. If you are interested in more information, you can complete an inquiry form at tinyurl.com/2m9jtt6f. And remember — time is tick-tocking away!
Pamela Plimpton, a B-W resident since 1980, retired as a professor of English in 2020. Her interests include reading, writing, gardening, and singing with a community chorale. She and her husband enjoy playing golf, working out at the N.E. Community Center, traveling, and grandparenting their granddaughter.