Join Southern Star, support nonprofits in Ellis County

The Southern Star Chapter of the National Charity League is hosting a member drive from Sept. 1-22 for mothers and daughters from grades 7-10 who reside in Ellis County or attend school in Ellis County.

Founded in 1925, the National Charity League is a philanthropic organization of mothers and daughters, which donates about three million hours every year to more than 6,000 charities across the nation, according to its website.

The Southern Star Chapter was formed in December 2021 and has 96 members: 46 mothers and 50 daughters. Since its inception, the Southern Star Chapter has provided more than 2,700 hours of community service to nonprofits in Ellis County. “To be happy in volunteering, happy in getting to know each other and just being a support to Ellis County,” LeeAnn Martin, president of the chapter, said. “That’s our heart.”

The chapter has about 20 philanthropy partners, including Habitat for Humanity, Waxahachie Care, Miracle League, Nicholas P. Sims Library, Paws for Reflection, Legend Oaks Rehabilitation, Bridges Training Center, Ellis County Children’s Advocacy Center, CASA of Ellis County, and more. Twenty-six members – nine mothers and 17 daughters – were recently awarded the Presidential Service Award from the White House for at least 50 or 100 hours, depending on age, of philanthropy service from the past year.

“We support the nonprofits in Ellis County,” Martin said. “That’s what we do.”

The Southern Star often works behind the scenes for nonprofits, especially for big fundraising events. This year, the chapter worked the Texas Baptist Home for Children’s annual Dancing with the Ellis County Stars event, serving food and verifying performers were where they needed to be. The chapter also prepped 700 bingo cards for CASA’s Bling Bang Bash, which was held April 21. Members also run games and various booths at the Sims Library’s events throughout the year.

The Southern Star volunteers regularly at many nonprofits in Ellis County, including Legend Oaks, where they spend time with the residents by playing games, doing nails, or simply listening to residents’ stories. They volunteer for storytimes at Sims Library and volunteer monthly at Waxahachie Care. Martin said the chapter is set up to be flexible for busy schedules. Members are required to go to five meetings each year and can pick service projects that coordinate with their schedule. Members have access to an app, where they can look through a calendar of planned service projects and sign up for the ones they can attend.

The goal of Southern Star is to foster the mother-daughter relationship through community service and to develop members’ leadership skills and cultural awareness through its monthly meetings.

Martin said she did not know her 15-year-old daughter had a heart for serving until they joined Southern Star in 2021. This past year, her daughter earned the most volunteer hours in the chapter, with 109 served. Most of the time, her daughter was the one pushing the mother-daughter duo to volunteer, not Martin, she said.

“If you really want to connect with your daughter in a good, positive, healthy, way and really touch and help support the community, that’s my why,” Martin said. “I do it because I love people … and meeting all the people in the community, getting to know them, and making it a happier place. I think that’s my why.”

Through volunteering and speaking to different people, her daughter discovered she wanted to become a therapist.

Martin said the Southern Star provides opportunities for girls and moms to connect with people in the community and to grow as an individual through monthly meetings, mentorship opportunities, and more.

For those interested in joining, an information meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at Central Presbyterian Church, located at 402 N. College St.

To become a member or to learn more about becoming one of the chapter’s philanthropy partners, email membershipsouthernstar@nclonline.org. For more information, visit https://www.nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/southernstar/ or follow @nclsouthernstar on Instagram. Originally published August 26, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/arts_and_entertainment/join-southern-star-support-nonprofits-in-ellis-county/article_35ba388c-4480-11ee-8d8d-dbb82dbc7c6f.html