Welcome to Hills of Westlake

Mothers & Sons Serving Together to Impact Their Local Community

Welcome to the Hills of Westlake Chapter of Young Men’s Service League. We have been making a difference in our community since 2017. 

The four years of high school go by incredibly fast. Finding time to spend together with your teenage son gets harder and harder. When you join YMSL, you commit to spending quality time together with your son serving your community.

In these moments, he sees your dedication to serving others. You see his eyes and heart become open to the world around him. These are memories to last a lifetime and service projects that impact our community forever.

In addition to service, YMSL offers valuable leadership opportunities and a four-year curriculum that covers topics such as car repair, interview skills, cooking, hazing prevention, and more.

We hope you will consider joining us. The time to start the membership process is during your son’s 8th-grade year. We look forward to meeting you and serving together. Scroll down for more details.

About YMSL

The Young Men’s Service League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit national organization. Members of YMSL are moms and their teenage sons who volunteer together to serve their local communities during his four years of high school. YMSL currently represents over 27,000 members and young men as part of more than 153 chapters across 20 states. 

YMSL offers moms service opportunities and time together with her son(s) to grow their relationship and to instill in him a heart of service to last a lifetime. In addition to service, as part of its four-year comprehensive program, YMSL teaches leadership and life skills to develop our young men to become the capable, confident, and compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

The pillars of the YMSL experience are service, learning, and leadership. YMSL is a four-year comprehensive program. Requirements for membership include:

YMSL Mentor (Sponsor)

YMSL is a sponsorship organization; a prospective member needs to be mentored (sponsored) by a current member of the chapter she wishes to join. Contact membership for guidance. Enrollment is during the son’s 8th-grade year. 

4-Year Commitment

Joining YMSL is a four-year commitment. Young men and their mothers are expected to remain active in the chapter during his four years of high school. An annual Volunteer and Senior Recognition Banquet is held each spring.

20 Hours of Service

A minimum of 20 service hours is required annually at a variety of chapter-approved philanthropies. Half of these hours must be served as a Mother/Son team.

Job within the Chapter

Each mom and son must individually serve in a job or leadership position within the chapter. Positions rotate annually. Roles offer valuable experience and leadership opportunities.

5 Meetings

A structured four-year curriculum for young men covers a variety of life skills and brings in local speakers. Young men must attend at least 5 meetings per year. Moms must attend at least 3 meetings per year.

Membership Fees

YMSL annual chapter dues and banquet fee.

Contact membership for more details.

Joining YMSL

Ready to take the next step?

Enrollment for new members takes place in January/February/March of the son’s 8th-grade year.

If you do not know anyone in YMSL, please contact us to assist you.

YMSL is a sponsorship organization, which means a prospective member needs to be sponsored by a current member of the chapter they wish to join.

If you would like to learn more about joining, please click the contact membership button below to send us a message. 

Our Chapter’s Membership Dates & Deadlines for Enrollment:
  • 01-31-2024Sponsor Forms Deadline
  • 02-15-2024Prospective Member Meeting at 6:30pm at Shepherd of the Hills
  • 02-25-2024Prospective Member Meeting at 5:00pm via Zoom
  • 03-01-2024Letter of Intent from prospective members due
  • 03-07-2024New members will be notified of acceptance/waitlist

Contact Membership

Testimonials

I pursued YMSL as an opportunity for Sam and me initially because he is my third child, I know high school flies by and I wanted to be intentional about time together.There are many opportunities for youth to serve in the community through school, faith
JulieAustin, Texas
Hudson and I enjoy volunteering together through YMSL. It creates an opportunity for us to be together that we wouldn’t otherwise make happen.
ClaytonAustin, Texas
The volunteering we have done through YMSL has not only provided me and my son with quality time together, but has been a meaningful way to give back to our community.
KarinAustin, Texas

Leadership

Our Chapter’s Leadership Board

Renu Swartz

Board Member: President

Naveen Gowda

Board Member: President Elect

Karin Powdermaker

Board Member: First Vice President

Leah Belew

Board Member: Parliamentarian

Kimberly Reynolds

Board Member: Secretary

Leslie Spencer

Board Member: Treasurer

Leah Alberti

Board Member: VP Communications

Amanda Watkins

Board Member: VP Membership

Becky Pemberton

Board Member: VP Philanthropy

Karla Lardie

Board Member: VP Website

Sandi Steinfeld

Board Member: VP Young Men Coordinator

Ellen Navarre

Board Member: Assistant VP Membership

Megan Weitz

Board Member: Assistant VP Philanthropy

Mona Faulkner

Board Member: Assistant Secretary

Julie Jones

Board Member: Assistant Treasurer

Laura Lane

Board Member: Assistant VP Young Men Coordinator

Philanthropies we Serve

Alphabetical List

  • Austin Sunshine Camps
  • Brookdale Senior Living
  • CC4C
  • Central Texas Food Bank
  • Chord for Life
  • Coats for Kids
  • Community First! Village
  • Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas
  • Drive a Senior
  • El Buen Samaritano
  • Family Eldercare
  • Foundation Communities
  • Helping Hand Home for Children
  • Honor Flight
  • Inside Books Project
  • Jeremiah Project
  • Meals on Wheels of Central Texas
  • Mobile Loaves & Fishes
  • Partnerships for Children
  • Pop-up Birthday
  • Salvation Army Austin
  • Special Olympics
  • The Settlement Home for Children
  • The Trail Foundation
  • Westover Food Pantry
  • Wreaths Across America

If you are a philanthropy interested in partnering with our chapter, we would love to hear from you. Please use the contact our chapter button below. 

Contact our Chapter

We look forward to hearing from you about membership or how our members can serve your philanthropy and our community. Click the button below to contact our chapter.

If you are interested in joining our chapter, please use the contact membership button in the Join section.

To learn more about the YMSL National organization visit: YMSL.org

To see a full list of chapters visit: YMSL.org/find-a-chapter

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Contact Our Chapter