Local Leader Appointed to Governing Board of National Charity League
Nicole McKnightJennifer Larsen, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from Colleyville, has been appointed to the National Board of the National Charity League, Inc., (NCL). She will serve as a director on the board for a three-year term starting June 1, 2023.
National Charity League is a multi-generational philanthropic organization of mothers and daughters which promotes the pillars of philanthropy, leadership, and the mother-daughter bond. NCL’s 200,000 members and alumni donate close to three million hours annually to over 6,000 charities in the United States. This volunteer work equates to a National Fiscal Impact of $86 million dollars annually.
Jennifer loves working in the social sector, especially favoring philanthropic work related to motherhood. The National Charity League provides a venue for mothers to work closely with their daughters in philanthropic service. Jennifer’s path to NCL shaped and fed a passion to “change the narrative of a woman’s role as mother.” Jennifer states that the “power of women to influence the world is an under recognized strength available to our society.” She believes that when women support women, spend time nurturing the future generation of women, and help women who support communities, we will strengthen the world.
Jennifer’s introduction to the philanthropic community came from an organization called American Mothers, Inc., which “educates, inspires, and recognizes mothers through programs that teach, support, and honor moms, empowering them to positively impact their families and communities.” Jennifer served in several American Mothers leadership positions including Area Coordinator, National Membership Chair on the Board of Directors, and Texas State President. She helped increase American Mothers’ membership and helped promote the Texas Young Mother of the Year. Jennifer believes in the power of women to lift and inspire one another as they celebrate each other in all stages of motherhood.
The National Charity League became an additional avenue for Jennifer to stay involved in philanthropy and work side-by-side with her daughters. She comments, “Looking at the history of NCL, which began in 1925, you can see that people make a difference when they are engaged in their communities. Just as their work made a difference, our work with local charitable organizations and our building strong relationships with women who have the same passion makes a difference in our communities.”
To better understand the social sector and communication strategy, Jennifer earned a Master of Science in Strategic Communication from Purdue University and continued her education to earn a Master of Arts in Non-Profit Management from Johns Hopkins University.
As part of her Johns Hopkins studies, she travelled with a group to Nepal to study program evaluation, working with United Nations Women. United Nations Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women around the world.
In Nepal, Jennifer witnessed real change. Many rural areas of Nepal adhere to an archaic practice of menstruation segregation, where girls are separated from primary living quarters while they menstruate and are forced to stay in huts or caves. This subjects them to life-threatening dangers from elements and wild animals. Jennifer says, “While in Nepal, historic change was made as women-led activist groups, in collaboration with UN Women, went to several small villages and tore down the huts. These women are changing their society by coming together, using their voice and physical presence to facilitate change in a real way.” While visiting a rural village high in the Himalayas, Jennifer saw another example of the power that can come from women supporting women in their roles as mothers. She describes a group of women she met, “In this region there is only a small urgent care facility. Maternal mortality rates are extremely high because they have no resources or access to adequate health care. The women in this area created a doula-type support system providing education and care. I saw once again what women can do when they recognize needs and provide support.”
Jennifer is inspired in her service by her Christian beliefs and her desire to become more like Jesus Christ. She refers to a 2015 talk given by Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during which he said, “We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith . . . women who know how to receive personal revelation . . . women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families.” He then addressed the women and said, “We need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom and your voices.
Jennifer concludes, “I learned how to be a mother by watching the relentless service my mother gave to her faith and to her family.” Jennifer continues the tradition of relentless service as she begins her work on the NCL National Board, where she will once again find ways to “champion women in their roles as mothers.”
Nicole McKnight serves as a Communication Specialist in the Colleyville Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She works and lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. She and her husband have six children and three grandchildren. Nicole grew up in Florida and still loves the beach and sunshine!
