In a remarkable display of unity and community spirit, the Palm Springs chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) recently joined forces with local nonprofit Rescue + Residence, an organization that utilizes dedicated Marine volunteers from 29 Palms, to support ongoing cleanup efforts in the Panorama neighborhood of Cathedral City, which was devastated by mudflow during Tropical Storm Hilary.
This extraordinary initiative highlights the enduring spirit of service and solidarity that defines both organizations.
According to its website, the National Charity League is a “multi-generational philanthropic organization of mothers and daughters” that donates “close to three million hours annually to over 6,000 charities in the United States.” One of its purposes is to develop socially responsible community leaders while strengthening mother-daughter relationships.
Yucca Valley-based Rescue + Residence works to “identify eligible homeless veterans and provide them with solutions to two of the most significant barriers to successfully leaving homelessness behind and achieving success.”
These organizations came together through the efforts of Cynthia and Daniel Belew.
Hilary brought unforeseen challenges to parts of Cathedral City, and the NCL Palm Springs chapter was quick to respond. Cynthia, along with Freya Goroscope, both of whom are NCL Patronesses, solicited the help of NCL Girl Dad Daniel and played pivotal roles in coordinating the collective clean-up effort.
“My wife is a part of the National Charity League for Palm Springs,” Daniel said, “and they are well established in the region and have a ton of connections with other nonprofits in need. But sometimes the work needed isn’t well matched to high school or middle school girls, so when the opportunity came for us to help shovel out thousands of pounds of dirt from people’s yards and homes, I was able to get active duty servicemembers to help.”
Dr. Edith Jones-Poland, NCL, Palm Springs chapter president, said: “As soon as we saw the devastation in our own community, members of our chapter immediately began brainstorming and making calls to see how we can help our neighbors. We are so grateful for the Marine volunteers and the Rescue + Residence for their prompt response to help out.”
Daniel, who knew of the devastation, was eager to lend a hand.
“I had seen photos,” he said. “I understood what was going on. I saw the heavy equipment along the street dumping large volumes of mud. I brought one of my organization’s prospective board members, and he was like, ‘Oh my God, I had no idea it was this bad.’ He was shocked. And this man has seen combat.
“Everything was thrashed. I said ‘Look at these mailboxes.’ Every mailbox on the street where the mud had hit very hard was leaning to the side. All of them had been pushed over by the sheer mass of mud. The house we helped primarily — in the backyard, the mud was chest high for most of us. It was a disaster zone.”
It was a long day for Daniel and his 24 volunteers, but armed with plenty of Gatorade, pizza provided by NCL and ceviche donated by local restaurateur Pedro Padilla, the volunteers were able to make a dent.
According to Daniel, both his and his wife’s upbringings contributed to the generous spirit they share today.
“We both grew up pretty rough,” he said. “It’s part of what brought us together when we started dating. As a teenager, I ended up homeless. I made it through high school living on the streets, living in friends’ houses and sleeping on couches. Joining the Marine Corps was my way of creating a foundation for myself in order to move forward in life. At the time, I couldn’t see a future beyond the next couple of months, so I needed something to keep me going.”
Cynthia also had a difficult childhood growing up. As a result, Daniel said, “we have this need now to make opportunities for others. We feel like we’ve been blessed, and we want to be able to provide those blessings back to the community.”
In addition to its active involvement in Cathedral City cleanup efforts, the NCL, Palm Springs chapter further demonstrated its unwavering commitment to its community by making generous donations to the local Salvation Army, which aimed to provide much-needed assistance to victims in the form of necessities.
Members of the Palm Springs NCL chapter volunteer with 18 local nonprofit organizations, including Angel View, Coachella Valley Autism Society, Guide Dogs of the Desert, Palm Springs Historical Society and more. For more information, visit nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/palmsprings.
As for Rescue + Residence, established in 2021, Daniel has high hopes for what it can accomplish: “This is not just a Coachella Valley mission or a high desert mission,” he said. “My goal is to end homelessness for veterans across the country. But it starts here. We start by giving back to the community.”
For more information or to make a donation, visit rescueresidence.org.
As the philanthropy editor at The Desert Sun, Winston Gieseke writes about nonprofits, fundraising and locals who give back, including his dog Ernie Banks, who is a regular volunteer at Desert Care Network’s Comprehensive Cancer Center at Desert Regional Medical Center. Reach him at winston.gieseke@desertsun.com.
Jennifer Barnakian-Poland is an independent communications consultant and mother of two. She is a member of the National Charity League, Palm Springs Chapter, and serves as its Vice President of Communications.
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