LAMORINDA WEEKLY | National Charity League Tea at Moraga Royale


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Residents of Moraga Royale Assisted Living and local high school girls in the Lamorinda chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) gathered on Sunday, October 16 at Moraga Royale for an annual tea.

The event gave the teenagers a chance to sit down with the men and women of Moraga Royale to chat while sipping tea and snacking on finger food. Girls and residents alike enjoyed this opportunity to communicate and connect with members of another generation.

"I enjoyed getting to talk to people from earlier generations, and I had a lot of fun meeting new people and learning new things," said Grace Moran, a member of the NCL tenth grade class.

The tea is put on every year by the sophomore class of Lamorinda NCL, so this year it was the NCL Class of 2014's responsibility to organize and prepare for the event. The sophomore girls arranged food assignments, work shifts, and a fashion show for entertainment in the month prior to the tea.

After the girls set up for the tea and arranged the food on Sunday, Moraga Royale residents entered and were seated and served. The high schoolers spread throughout the room to sit and chat with the attending residents. Following this social time came a fashion show organized by the NCL girls to showcase their high school Homecoming dresses, everyday clothing, and sports uniforms.

"I think it was a great success...it was very interesting that the girls chose to do a fashion show, and many of the girls participated. It seemed like the residents enjoyed it," said Marcie Schmitz, an NCL mother and Philanthropic Co-Chair for the event.

The tea seemed to be an overall pleasant and fun experience for all who attended. The girls especially enjoyed interacting with the residents and the satisfying feeling that they had done something beneficial for their community.

NCL sophomore members Julia Nishioki and Abby Brzezinski said, "[Our] favorite part was definitely sitting at the tables and being able to hear [the residents'] stories and how they appreciated having us here. It's simple things like that that make NCL all worth it."