November 28, 2023 • 18 mins
Are you ready to discover the joy of giving back and creating deeper bonds with loved ones? This episode is all about the power of volunteering, and we sit down with Tina Richter, vice president of membership for the National Charity League's West Lakes chapter.
She shares her compelling journey as a volunteer and how she's witnessed the strengthening of the relationship between her and her daughter through their shared philanthropic experiences.
Tina also spills the tea on how you can become part of this inspiring organization that opens doors for mothers and daughters to make a positive impact on society.
So grab your headphones and get ready to be inspired by the transformative power of volunteering. Whether you're a mother, a daughter, or someone looking for a way to give back, there's something in this episode for you!
Learn more at: https://www.nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/westlakes/
Learn more at https://www.tonkatalk.com where we share more about our Lake Minnetonka community, including upcoming events and our take on local experiences.
Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TonkaTalk/
If you have feedback, questions, or suggestions of a future guests creating community and connection, email natalie@tonkatalk.com
We appreciate your support in sharing Tonka Talk Community and Connection with someone you think could benefit from our content.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, have you ever thought about volunteering in
the community?
What about volunteering withyour daughter?
If you're a mom and you have adaughter, we have a very unique,
unique organization and way ofgiving back that we're going to
share today.
My guest is Tina Richter.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Tina Hi, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Now, tina, you are Tina's the vice president of
membership for the NationalCharity League, the West Lakes
West Lakes chapter.
I was very excited to hearabout this because when I first
heard about it she was sayingit's an opportunity for mothers
and daughters to work togetherand give back in the community.
And I thought, oh, that's greatand it is.
(00:43):
And then I thought, could Ihave done that with one of my
daughters?
My daughters are grown now inadults and the more I thought
about it, I thought that wouldhave been such a bonding
experience.
It's great.
So I want to hear yours Justtell people a little bit about
what the West Lakes chapter ofthe National Charity League is
(01:03):
about.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
So what?
National Charity League?
We are a organization acrossthe country, so there's over 200
chapters, many different states.
It's a mother daughterorganization and we focus on
philanthropy, leadership andculture, and we all have a job,
we all have something to do.
(01:24):
It is a nonprofit organization.
I don't know any organizationthat doesn't have a job, right?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So yeah, it's an active.
When you volunteer there, it'sa really working organization.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It really is.
I mean, it would not work if wedidn't have members doing jobs.
It could be anywhere from thebiggest job to being the
president, to maybe doingsomething on the Google Drive.
Everybody has a job, and ourgirls have a job within their
class as well.
So, yeah, it's fun.
It teaches them a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And you work.
So the organization works tohelp multiple different
nonprofits.
Correct, it's not just one.
I was looking at the list andit was Feed my Starving Children
, the Red Cross so manydifferent organizations.
So does that mean that theopportunities to volunteer vary
in terms of what you might bedoing?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, right now about 19 philanthropies just under
our chapter, ones around theLake area that people might have
heard of.
The Hope Chest is one of them.
We have the Humanity Alliancethat's in Victoria the Prop Shop
again, feed my StarvingChildren.
Those are some of the localones, and then we have ones that
(02:40):
are towards the city that we do.
So it gives everybody somethingto do at any point, whether
they're signing up on their ownor it's on our own calendar.
Special Olympics is a huge onefor us.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
When did you get involved with the nonprofit?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So, hi, I got involved.
I had heard about it 2018 and Ithought you know what?
What a great way.
My daughter was just in sixthgrade at that point and this is
this is for daughters who are inseventh to twelfth grade and so
we joined in her seventh gradeyear and, you know, it was kind
(03:18):
of a slow go.
You got to learn everythingabout it and it seems
overwhelming until you get toknow about it.
And then, in 2020, we all knowwhat happened then and
everything kind of came to ahalt.
Except what didn't happen wasis we were able to sit online
and keep learning and keep doingour jobs, and I absorbed a lot
(03:39):
of information as VP ofmembership in my second year.
And by October of that year, of2020, we had someone in the
president-elect position whostepped down and I decided you
know what I can do this, I canstep in and be president the
next year.
And then my daughter's classelections come along and she's
(04:01):
like, well, I'm going to bepresident too, so we're both
presidents.
You know, when I was and shewas president of her class in
ninth grade and I was just sodarned excited.
It was fun.
It was a lot of fun doing thatwith her and she learned.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
That is exciting.
Yeah, it was how.
Now your daughter is 16 today.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
She is.
She's a junior in high school.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
How would you say, volunteering together through
this organization impacted yourrelationship?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
She has learned that I don't just stay at home.
I don't work anymore, so my jobis volunteering.
I volunteer for not just thisorganization but other things,
and she has learned that, ohyeah, she's not just a mom.
She actually knows a few thingsand she's learned she can come
to me and ask me things.
(04:51):
She knows she can learn from meand that you know I'm going to
have ideas about things as well.
So it's been a very nice way tostay connected with her,
especially after she got herdriver's license.
Hello, we don't see her kidsafter that.
So we do things together andthat's how we stay connected.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
What a great way to do that too.
So it sounds like she took tothe organization very easily and
was open to volunteering.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Oh, yeah, she wanted to quit.
She wanted to quit after herfirst year and I was like, oh,
I'm already going to be VP ofmembership, so I'm in this, so
you are coming along for theride.
And it was that pivotal momentof I'm going to be president in
my class and she has absolutelytaken ownership in things.
(05:42):
You know it's fun.
This is going to be a lifelongthing that she takes with her
into college and afterwards.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
No doubt.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So that's really the piece of it.
If our girls can learn from us,it's a win.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
We've won.
So it's mothers and daughters,and you said it was from sixth
or seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
It starts in seventh grade and it goes up until 12th
grade.
Typically, classes that we haveopen are seventh, eighth and
ninth grade.
When we start out ourmembership drive, which is going
on right now.
And yes, so we're looking atthose classes of 20, 28, 20, 29
and 20, 30.
That's weird.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
It seems so far off, but it's not no.
So what happens when she hitsthat?
That the top age for theorganization where you can
volunteer?
Is it something that typically,then our moms allowed to
continue if you don't have adaughter in the program?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So typically what happens after girls graduate out
?
We can become what's called asustainer and we can do still,
you know, volunteering orwhatever through the
organization Nationals hasthings that they submit out.
You know you can do videos,cooking classes.
There's all kinds of stuff thatwe can keep learning from
(07:06):
listening to Rosalyn Wiseman andlistening to what she has to
say to everybody within NationalCharity League.
So it's it's.
There's always something therefor us.
And yeah, and now I know 1920different philanthropies I can
always volunteer with.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And it's a national organization.
You're working with Westlake,so it's kind of the does that
cover the obviously the LakeMinnetonka area, so Westlake.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, what it is is.
It's we're south of 394.
There is another chapter it'scalled the Northwoods chapter
and they're north of 394.
So we've had a reciprocalagreement.
We can, you know, go.
If I moved to Plymouth I couldgo join their chapter, or I
would have to ask be releasedand join our chapter.
(07:56):
So it's just so we've got twoof us going on and they have
different philanthropies than wedo Each chapter, some of them.
Yeah, some of them are the same.
Everybody's got SpecialOlympics around old McDonald
house, but they have somedifferent ones up there as well.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
It's really neat, too , that because it's a national
organization, you could move,but you could still be involved
throughout.
You just have to find thechapter that's nearest you.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
We've had people move up here from Texas who you know
been involved with chaptersdown there, who are become
chapters up here.
So yeah it's, you could goanywhere in the country and
probably find a chapter.
It's just I hear about itExactly, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
On talk-a-talk we talk a lot about community and
connection and the way thatpeople create that community and
connection, and throughvolunteering.
That is how I met a lot ofpeople, especially, I think, for
transplants.
I'm not from Minnesota, and itwas when I was I got involved in
my community and startedvolunteering that I really
started to make friends, andfriends that I still have today.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Yeah, it's great, I will say.
You know, kids are so connectedthrough social media, but each
class seven through 12th gradethey all have their own classes.
So my daughter is a 2025 classand each of those girls we had
24 girls at one point.
Now we're down to 15.
Kids get busy.
Maybe they have to make choicesof what they're going to do,
(09:22):
but we have 15 girls thatrepresent three or four
different high schools and youknow, schools that we represent
are just going to throw some outMinnetonka, eden, prairie, holy
Family, Benilde, and thenthere's some that go towards
Edina.
Those are some of the biggerones.
We have some Chanhassen, so,but they make those friendships
(09:46):
and they learn how to worktogether and collaborate and
they're actually super fun.
And I'm actually not only in myVP of membership, I'm also
called what's a grade leveladvisor.
So I'm one of the one of twoleaders that helps lead this
2025 class.
We have a meeting every singlemonth that we go through with
(10:09):
the girls, and something that Ibrought up to them was you know,
what do you want to do for abig philanthropy project?
I have this idea, and so we areorganizing a walk-a-thon for
the Humanity Alliance to raisemoney for them.
On top of it, though, this issomething every step along the
(10:29):
way that these girls are goingto learn how to do a walk-a-thon
, and what it takes from youknow starting it to ending it
and what it looks like inbetween and getting sponsors,
and how are we going to reachout to all these people and let
them know what we're doing.
So that's the whole leadershipaspect of it, and they're so
(10:51):
excited I mean, there's some ofthem that are.
I have all these ideas and I'mlike my gosh, this is great,
right, that's what it's allabout.
And then we touch on thecultural piece, which every year
, we have a different culturalthat we touch.
I remember ninth grade wasdance and COVID, so we watched
Swan Lake on a video, and thenwe went to the symphony last
(11:17):
year, and 10th grade and thisyear we've we had a whole
gathering with our group andeverybody brought food from
either their culture or whateverculture they wanted and talked
about it, and you know.
So it's just fun.
We're learning different thingsthat they wouldn't otherwise
get a chance and etiquette.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
We have a whole thing , etiquette, oh yeah.
That's fantastic.
That's an aspect that you don'treally, I think, find in
definitely in a group whereyou're volunteering.
It is something that you hopeis involved with in the home,
that you're teaching yourchildren, but when it can be
reinforced outside of there,that's really powerful.
(11:58):
It is.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
It is.
Yeah, it's just having that forthem is.
It's amazing.
I don't think they're going toget anything like that.
We have a mandatory tea.
We have to do every year a tea.
Wow, you know.
I mean, they're popping up,teas are starting to pop up, but
you know who has a tea anymore.
So a proper tea, a proper tea,absolutely.
(12:22):
You know biscuits and jam andyou know all of it.
And they learn about a tea andthey learn about the etiquette
of it.
And we have to dress up and wehave to RSVP.
For goodness sakes.
You know, do people even knowwhat RSVP means anymore?
So you know, just explainingthings like that, like you do,
reply, please reply, because weneed to know who's coming or
(12:45):
who's not coming, type things.
So it's it really.
Is that whole little piece ofetiquette that again, they're
not teaching it at school?
Maybe they are, I don't know.
My kid's not taking that classat school.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I like what you said, too, about it having the
opportunity for daughters, too,to see their moms in a different
light.
When you're volunteeringtogether when you're, it gives
you a common enemy in a way,right, whatever the thing is
that you're fighting or raisingawareness about that, you can
bond over and work on togetherand as someone who I who raised
(13:24):
two teenage daughters myself anda son, but with my girls that I
could see how something likethis, if they took interest in
it, would be a great bondingexperience, but also to give
them an opportunity to learn howto do these things.
When my daughter was in college,she was involved with I think
it was called girls on the runand she volunteered with that,
(13:44):
and she learned so much fromthat in terms of organization,
in terms of getting a group ofpeople to do something there's
so many in denounce to it, and Ilike that.
In what you're doing with thenational charity league is
you're instilling in these girls, too, the ability and
empowering them with theknowledge and the organizational
skills to create this change.
(14:06):
Do you hear what?
What it's like for these youngladies then when they post all
of this, going off into college,going out into the world?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Oh, absolutely.
I mean just nationals itselfreally likes to talk about what
girls are doing outside of NCL.
When they graduate high school.
A lot of them are joiningsororities, if you think about.
All right, so I'm going to havea board in the sorority.
I need to know Robert's rules.
How do I take notes if I'm thesecretary?
(14:37):
How do I balance the budget asthe treasurer?
It's just little things likethis and other VP positions.
So there's a lot of girls thatwill go on to do that.
There's just this whole largegroup of people that are out
there that, putting it on yourresume, honestly, we've been
around for almost 100 years.
(14:57):
You don't know who you're goingto run into and who's going to
have national charity league intheir background.
So I'm telling them right nowmake sure you put that on your
college applications.
We're talking about collegeapplications and we did a
college tour this fall so thatthey can start getting warmed up
(15:17):
to doing college tours and whatquestions to ask.
So it's such a wealth I meanthey're going to be able to
bring it.
I've been on a board.
They can say I've been on aboard.
I've helped execute awalk-a-thon.
So they've got a lot.
They've got a lot that they canbring to the table at any point
, college and after.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
And it becomes almost like a habit.
It becomes a part of you.
Once you get that, you get intovolunteering, and I like as
well what you're saying.
You have so many differentorganizations that you can work
with.
What are some of your favoriteexperiences in terms of
volunteering with your daughterfor specific organizations?
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Oh gosh.
So my daughter's favorite isSpecial Olympics, minnesota.
We do the swimming onestypically every summer.
We try to get hours yes, wehave hours we have to fulfill
but we go and do that and shejust loves being around those
athletes and seeing they'reinspiring.
(16:21):
You know what they really are.
You go there and I don't knowone person who hasn't been
touched by the amount of workthat those athletes put in along
with just they're just happy tobe there and so we're very
happy to be there and be withthem.
So that's one of the biggestones that I feel like girls get
(16:45):
out of.
She loves volunteering atHumanity Alliance during the
summer.
It doesn't happen so muchduring the school year because
she's so busy, but we feedcommunities through Humanity
Alliance, so she likes that andshe likes the guy who started up
Humanity Alliance, so it justmakes it fun.
(17:06):
She gets to learn from so manydifferent people.
You can't get that.
I can pay to get her that, butno, it's just.
There's nothing next to itreally.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, it's a unique experience, for sure it is yes
unique I'm going to share in theshow notes where people where
you can go to find out moreabout the National Charity
League and the West Lakeschapter here as well, how you
can connect with Tina if youhave any questions at all.
I'm looking forward to hearingagain what other projects and
things that you and the groupare up to, because it sounds
(17:44):
like you're doing a lot.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Yeah, we are.
You know, each group is reallydoing their own thing.
Another one that girls like isthe waters in Eden Prairie and
working with the oldergenerations and being around
them.
They get a lot out of it.
So there's always there'ssomething for everyone in the
organization and, like I saidbefore, we're going to be
(18:06):
celebrating 100 years coming up,so that's amazing, you know
it's.
It's really fun justcelebrating that 100 years and
how the whole organizationstarted way back in 1925.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Wow, it definitely fits our theme on Tonka, tonka
again.
Community and connection.
Finding these ways that peoplefind and create that community
and that connection and beingable to do it with your daughter
like that, I think, is reallyspecial.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
It is, and I've met some amazing moms throughout the
way who I can honestly say arebest friends now, and so it has
been a great connection for us.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
That's fantastic.
Thank you so much for comingand sharing.
Thank you so much for comingand talking about this.
Definitely Talk to you later.
Hello, have you ever thought about volunteering in
the community?
What about volunteering withyour daughter?
If you're a mom and you have adaughter, we have a very unique,
unique organization and way ofgiving back that we're going to
share today.
My guest is Tina Richter.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Tina Hi, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Now, tina, you are Tina's the vice president of
membership for the NationalCharity League, the West Lakes
West Lakes chapter.
I was very excited to hearabout this because when I first
heard about it she was sayingit's an opportunity for mothers
and daughters to work togetherand give back in the community.
And I thought, oh, that's greatand it is.
(00:43):
And then I thought, could Ihave done that with one of my
daughters?
My daughters are grown now inadults and the more I thought
about it, I thought that wouldhave been such a bonding
experience.
It's great.
So I want to hear yours Justtell people a little bit about
what the West Lakes chapter ofthe National Charity League is
(01:03):
about.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
So what?
National Charity League?
We are a organization acrossthe country, so there's over 200
chapters, many different states.
It's a mother daughterorganization and we focus on
philanthropy, leadership andculture, and we all have a job,
we all have something to do.
(01:24):
It is a nonprofit organization.
I don't know any organizationthat doesn't have a job, right?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So yeah, it's an active.
When you volunteer there, it'sa really working organization.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It really is.
I mean, it would not work if wedidn't have members doing jobs.
It could be anywhere from thebiggest job to being the
president, to maybe doingsomething on the Google Drive.
Everybody has a job, and ourgirls have a job within their
class as well.
So, yeah, it's fun.
It teaches them a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And you work.
So the organization works tohelp multiple different
nonprofits.
Correct, it's not just one.
I was looking at the list andit was Feed my Starving Children
, the Red Cross so manydifferent organizations.
So does that mean that theopportunities to volunteer vary
in terms of what you might bedoing?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, right now about 19 philanthropies just under
our chapter, ones around theLake area that people might have
heard of.
The Hope Chest is one of them.
We have the Humanity Alliancethat's in Victoria the Prop Shop
again, feed my StarvingChildren.
Those are some of the localones, and then we have ones that
(02:40):
are towards the city that we do.
So it gives everybody somethingto do at any point, whether
they're signing up on their ownor it's on our own calendar.
Special Olympics is a huge onefor us.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
When did you get involved with the nonprofit?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So, hi, I got involved.
I had heard about it 2018 and Ithought you know what?
What a great way.
My daughter was just in sixthgrade at that point and this is
this is for daughters who are inseventh to twelfth grade and so
we joined in her seventh gradeyear and, you know, it was kind
(03:18):
of a slow go.
You got to learn everythingabout it and it seems
overwhelming until you get toknow about it.
And then, in 2020, we all knowwhat happened then and
everything kind of came to ahalt.
Except what didn't happen wasis we were able to sit online
and keep learning and keep doingour jobs, and I absorbed a lot
(03:39):
of information as VP ofmembership in my second year.
And by October of that year, of2020, we had someone in the
president-elect position whostepped down and I decided you
know what I can do this, I canstep in and be president the
next year.
And then my daughter's classelections come along and she's
(04:01):
like, well, I'm going to bepresident too, so we're both
presidents.
You know, when I was and shewas president of her class in
ninth grade and I was just sodarned excited.
It was fun.
It was a lot of fun doing thatwith her and she learned.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
That is exciting.
Yeah, it was how.
Now your daughter is 16 today.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
She is.
She's a junior in high school.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
How would you say, volunteering together through
this organization impacted yourrelationship?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
She has learned that I don't just stay at home.
I don't work anymore, so my jobis volunteering.
I volunteer for not just thisorganization but other things,
and she has learned that, ohyeah, she's not just a mom.
She actually knows a few thingsand she's learned she can come
to me and ask me things.
(04:51):
She knows she can learn from meand that you know I'm going to
have ideas about things as well.
So it's been a very nice way tostay connected with her,
especially after she got herdriver's license.
Hello, we don't see her kidsafter that.
So we do things together andthat's how we stay connected.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
What a great way to do that too.
So it sounds like she took tothe organization very easily and
was open to volunteering.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Oh, yeah, she wanted to quit.
She wanted to quit after herfirst year and I was like, oh,
I'm already going to be VP ofmembership, so I'm in this, so
you are coming along for theride.
And it was that pivotal momentof I'm going to be president in
my class and she has absolutelytaken ownership in things.
(05:42):
You know it's fun.
This is going to be a lifelongthing that she takes with her
into college and afterwards.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
No doubt.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So that's really the piece of it.
If our girls can learn from us,it's a win.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
We've won.
So it's mothers and daughters,and you said it was from sixth
or seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
It starts in seventh grade and it goes up until 12th
grade.
Typically, classes that we haveopen are seventh, eighth and
ninth grade.
When we start out ourmembership drive, which is going
on right now.
And yes, so we're looking atthose classes of 20, 28, 20, 29
and 20, 30.
That's weird.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
It seems so far off, but it's not no.
So what happens when she hitsthat?
That the top age for theorganization where you can
volunteer?
Is it something that typically,then our moms allowed to
continue if you don't have adaughter in the program?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So typically what happens after girls graduate out
?
We can become what's called asustainer and we can do still,
you know, volunteering orwhatever through the
organization Nationals hasthings that they submit out.
You know you can do videos,cooking classes.
There's all kinds of stuff thatwe can keep learning from
(07:06):
listening to Rosalyn Wiseman andlistening to what she has to
say to everybody within NationalCharity League.
So it's it's.
There's always something therefor us.
And yeah, and now I know 1920different philanthropies I can
always volunteer with.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And it's a national organization.
You're working with Westlake,so it's kind of the does that
cover the obviously the LakeMinnetonka area, so Westlake.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, what it is is.
It's we're south of 394.
There is another chapter it'scalled the Northwoods chapter
and they're north of 394.
So we've had a reciprocalagreement.
We can, you know, go.
If I moved to Plymouth I couldgo join their chapter, or I
would have to ask be releasedand join our chapter.
(07:56):
So it's just so we've got twoof us going on and they have
different philanthropies than wedo Each chapter, some of them.
Yeah, some of them are the same.
Everybody's got SpecialOlympics around old McDonald
house, but they have somedifferent ones up there as well.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
It's really neat, too , that because it's a national
organization, you could move,but you could still be involved
throughout.
You just have to find thechapter that's nearest you.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
We've had people move up here from Texas who you know
been involved with chaptersdown there, who are become
chapters up here.
So yeah it's, you could goanywhere in the country and
probably find a chapter.
It's just I hear about itExactly, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
On talk-a-talk we talk a lot about community and
connection and the way thatpeople create that community and
connection, and throughvolunteering.
That is how I met a lot ofpeople, especially, I think, for
transplants.
I'm not from Minnesota, and itwas when I was I got involved in
my community and startedvolunteering that I really
started to make friends, andfriends that I still have today.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Yeah, it's great, I will say.
You know, kids are so connectedthrough social media, but each
class seven through 12th gradethey all have their own classes.
So my daughter is a 2025 classand each of those girls we had
24 girls at one point.
Now we're down to 15.
Kids get busy.
Maybe they have to make choicesof what they're going to do,
(09:22):
but we have 15 girls thatrepresent three or four
different high schools and youknow, schools that we represent
are just going to throw some outMinnetonka, eden, prairie, holy
Family, Benilde, and thenthere's some that go towards
Edina.
Those are some of the biggerones.
We have some Chanhassen, so,but they make those friendships
(09:46):
and they learn how to worktogether and collaborate and
they're actually super fun.
And I'm actually not only in myVP of membership, I'm also
called what's a grade leveladvisor.
So I'm one of the one of twoleaders that helps lead this
2025 class.
We have a meeting every singlemonth that we go through with
(10:09):
the girls, and something that Ibrought up to them was you know,
what do you want to do for abig philanthropy project?
I have this idea, and so we areorganizing a walk-a-thon for
the Humanity Alliance to raisemoney for them.
On top of it, though, this issomething every step along the
(10:29):
way that these girls are goingto learn how to do a walk-a-thon
, and what it takes from youknow starting it to ending it
and what it looks like inbetween and getting sponsors,
and how are we going to reachout to all these people and let
them know what we're doing.
So that's the whole leadershipaspect of it, and they're so
(10:51):
excited I mean, there's some ofthem that are.
I have all these ideas and I'mlike my gosh, this is great,
right, that's what it's allabout.
And then we touch on thecultural piece, which every year
, we have a different culturalthat we touch.
I remember ninth grade wasdance and COVID, so we watched
Swan Lake on a video, and thenwe went to the symphony last
(11:17):
year, and 10th grade and thisyear we've we had a whole
gathering with our group andeverybody brought food from
either their culture or whateverculture they wanted and talked
about it, and you know.
So it's just fun.
We're learning different thingsthat they wouldn't otherwise
get a chance and etiquette.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
We have a whole thing , etiquette, oh yeah.
That's fantastic.
That's an aspect that you don'treally, I think, find in
definitely in a group whereyou're volunteering.
It is something that you hopeis involved with in the home,
that you're teaching yourchildren, but when it can be
reinforced outside of there,that's really powerful.
(11:58):
It is.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
It is.
Yeah, it's just having that forthem is.
It's amazing.
I don't think they're going toget anything like that.
We have a mandatory tea.
We have to do every year a tea.
Wow, you know.
I mean, they're popping up,teas are starting to pop up, but
you know who has a tea anymore.
So a proper tea, a proper tea,absolutely.
(12:22):
You know biscuits and jam andyou know all of it.
And they learn about a tea andthey learn about the etiquette
of it.
And we have to dress up and wehave to RSVP.
For goodness sakes.
You know, do people even knowwhat RSVP means anymore?
So you know, just explainingthings like that, like you do,
reply, please reply, because weneed to know who's coming or
(12:45):
who's not coming, type things.
So it's it really.
Is that whole little piece ofetiquette that again, they're
not teaching it at school?
Maybe they are, I don't know.
My kid's not taking that classat school.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I like what you said, too, about it having the
opportunity for daughters, too,to see their moms in a different
light.
When you're volunteeringtogether when you're, it gives
you a common enemy in a way,right, whatever the thing is
that you're fighting or raisingawareness about that, you can
bond over and work on togetherand as someone who I who raised
(13:24):
two teenage daughters myself anda son, but with my girls that I
could see how something likethis, if they took interest in
it, would be a great bondingexperience, but also to give
them an opportunity to learn howto do these things.
When my daughter was in college,she was involved with I think
it was called girls on the runand she volunteered with that,
(13:44):
and she learned so much fromthat in terms of organization,
in terms of getting a group ofpeople to do something there's
so many in denounce to it, and Ilike that.
In what you're doing with thenational charity league is
you're instilling in these girls, too, the ability and
empowering them with theknowledge and the organizational
skills to create this change.
(14:06):
Do you hear what?
What it's like for these youngladies then when they post all
of this, going off into college,going out into the world?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Oh, absolutely.
I mean just nationals itselfreally likes to talk about what
girls are doing outside of NCL.
When they graduate high school.
A lot of them are joiningsororities, if you think about.
All right, so I'm going to havea board in the sorority.
I need to know Robert's rules.
How do I take notes if I'm thesecretary?
(14:37):
How do I balance the budget asthe treasurer?
It's just little things likethis and other VP positions.
So there's a lot of girls thatwill go on to do that.
There's just this whole largegroup of people that are out
there that, putting it on yourresume, honestly, we've been
around for almost 100 years.
(14:57):
You don't know who you're goingto run into and who's going to
have national charity league intheir background.
So I'm telling them right nowmake sure you put that on your
college applications.
We're talking about collegeapplications and we did a
college tour this fall so thatthey can start getting warmed up
(15:17):
to doing college tours and whatquestions to ask.
So it's such a wealth I meanthey're going to be able to
bring it.
I've been on a board.
They can say I've been on aboard.
I've helped execute awalk-a-thon.
So they've got a lot.
They've got a lot that they canbring to the table at any point
, college and after.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
And it becomes almost like a habit.
It becomes a part of you.
Once you get that, you get intovolunteering, and I like as
well what you're saying.
You have so many differentorganizations that you can work
with.
What are some of your favoriteexperiences in terms of
volunteering with your daughterfor specific organizations?
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Oh gosh.
So my daughter's favorite isSpecial Olympics, minnesota.
We do the swimming onestypically every summer.
We try to get hours yes, wehave hours we have to fulfill
but we go and do that and shejust loves being around those
athletes and seeing they'reinspiring.
(16:21):
You know what they really are.
You go there and I don't knowone person who hasn't been
touched by the amount of workthat those athletes put in along
with just they're just happy tobe there and so we're very
happy to be there and be withthem.
So that's one of the biggestones that I feel like girls get
(16:45):
out of.
She loves volunteering atHumanity Alliance during the
summer.
It doesn't happen so muchduring the school year because
she's so busy, but we feedcommunities through Humanity
Alliance, so she likes that andshe likes the guy who started up
Humanity Alliance, so it justmakes it fun.
(17:06):
She gets to learn from so manydifferent people.
You can't get that.
I can pay to get her that, butno, it's just.
There's nothing next to itreally.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, it's a unique experience, for sure it is yes
unique I'm going to share in theshow notes where people where
you can go to find out moreabout the National Charity
League and the West Lakeschapter here as well, how you
can connect with Tina if youhave any questions at all.
I'm looking forward to hearingagain what other projects and
things that you and the groupare up to, because it sounds
(17:44):
like you're doing a lot.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Yeah, we are.
You know, each group is reallydoing their own thing.
Another one that girls like isthe waters in Eden Prairie and
working with the oldergenerations and being around
them.
They get a lot out of it.
So there's always there'ssomething for everyone in the
organization and, like I saidbefore, we're going to be
(18:06):
celebrating 100 years coming up,so that's amazing, you know
it's.
It's really fun justcelebrating that 100 years and
how the whole organizationstarted way back in 1925.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Wow, it definitely fits our theme on Tonka, tonka
again.
Community and connection.
Finding these ways that peoplefind and create that community
and that connection and beingable to do it with your daughter
like that, I think, is reallyspecial.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
It is, and I've met some amazing moms throughout the
way who I can honestly say arebest friends now, and so it has
been a great connection for us.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
That's fantastic.
Thank you so much for comingand sharing.
Thank you so much for comingand talking about this.
Definitely Talk to you later.
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