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By Chandler gray
Photos Provided by NBSL
In the mid-1980s, Cathy Taylor
was a young mom, and was busy with her growing
family. Yet, she was not totally fulfilled. She
saw a need for something beyond her family, so
she invited a few other women and moms to sit
around her kitchen table to brainstorm. Taylor
has always believed, “Women are the cornerstones
of communities and that by taking a front seat
in community volunteerism, women learn more
about themselves, have the opportunity to give
back, and become all around better women.”
Taylor’s vision was to create an organization
that would help women to know each other better,
and at the same time, get them involved in
helping local organizations. Francis Bridges, a
former writer for the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung,
stopped by Cathy’s house one day and said “I
want to be the first member.”
It was almost twenty years ago this spring that
the New Braunfels Service League (NBSL) was
born! A small group of women with integrity,
selfless interests in the community, and a
desire to give back formed the NBSL. The primary
purpose was and still is to promote volunteerism
and to empower women. Today’s members are young
and old, married and single, divorced and
widowed, working and stay-at-home women. Many
are also mothers.
Jeanine Mayo, a long time member and past
president, states, “We make better people out of
ourselves when we give back to the community. We
become better daughters, wives, mothers, sisters
and friends.” Mayo continues, “When women
combine together to define a need, write out a
solution and execute that solution, amazing
synergy is found.” Mayo also states, “The New
Braunfels Service League is the platform for
women in this community to find internal
strength, and an outlet to give to the
community.”
Through the years the NBSL women have sung songs
to residents of local nursing homes, provided
vision and hearing screenings for elementary
school children, decorated for numerous events,
provided organizations with landscaping,
painting, and organizing skills, hosted picnics,
and of course raised much money for other
organizations with their famous “$5,000 Night”
fund-raiser. Through both the donation of funds
and volunteer support, the NBSL continues to
help local nonprofit and charitable
organizations in the New Braunfels community.
Chandler Gray, past president, says, “This
organization provides women, young and old, a
great way to make new friends, learn new skills,
gain a sense of community, and provide a lot of
support to others in our town.” To describe all
that the women of NBSL have done would be next
to impossible, but some examples of what they
have contributed to the community during the
past two decades include:
More than $5,000 in food baskets to needy
families for the Community Service Center;
Almost $9,000 in scholarship funds to local high
school seniors who have shown a strong
commitment to community service;
Just over $4,000 to the American Cancer Society
via its participation in their annual Relay for
Life;
In excess of $10,000 worth of gifts and
donations to children or families in need during
holiday times via its annual Giving Tree
project;
At least $250,000 in cash donations to other
local charitable agencies;
And perhaps most important of all, these women
have donated more than 200,000 hours of their
time and talent through the past twenty years.
“It is truly an honor to be part of such an
empowered group of interesting women that have
magnetically found themselves as part of the
NBSL” says Jeanie Mayo.
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