Submitted by ADeFrancesco on

10,000,000 Hours of Meaningful Community Service and Counting!

LeAnn Turbyfill, National Chair, Celebrate America! Committee

Yes, we did it!  We achieved the 10,000,000 service hour goal set by the President General and her Executive Board – and we did it during the 124th Continental Congress with six months remaining in the program year!  So, what do forward thinking DAR members do? Simple! We revise the goal to 12,500,000 service hours in honor of the 125th Anniversary of our National Society!

Can we achieve this new goal within the three year administration?  Absolutely!!

As members, continue to log hours served using the Online Tally following the link from the home page of the members’ website (in the right column under Frequently Visited).  Watch the ticker as it changes to reflect the cumulative number of Celebrate America! hours served by DAR members throughout the world!

All chapters and members have the once in a lifetime opportunity to impact local communities on Sunday, October 11, 2015 – the anniversary of our Society’s founding and the National DAR Day of Service.  Plan now to show your community how your chapter makes a difference by engaging in a special project!  Wear the National DAR Day of Service t-shirts which available for purchase through the DAR Store.  Be sure to tell your community about this service through your local press.   Samples of press releases can be found on the Celebrate 125! Committee web page.   Don’t forget to log these hours in the Celebrate America! Online Tally as well!

So what will your chapter do?  As a chapter, you could:

  • visit veterans and shut ins in VA Centers, state veterans homes, and nursing facilities;
  • deliver flowers to shut ins;
  • serve meals at local soup kitchens;
  • prepare treats for emergency first responders (police, ambulance, fire departments, etc.);
  • pick up trash along roadways;
  • host a reading corner for young children at your local library;
  • join with your local C.A.R. society or SAR chapter in a community activity;
  • conduct a community wide flag retirement ceremony;
  • support your local military families’ support center with a food, diaper or gift card drive;
  • commemorate and thank local Vietnam Veterans through a special event;
  • the list is endless!!

Take a look around your community.  Identify possible projects.   Whatever it is that your chapter decides, involve as many members as possible!  The more members participating, the greater will be the combined impact of our mission supporting historic preservation, education and patriotism.  Log those hours in the Online Tally.  What a wonderful opportunity for Daughters everywhere to demonstrate OUR commitment to America!

Be sure to share photos of your chapter in action on the National DAR Day of Service on social media and the Celebrate 125! Facebook page and use the hashtag #DARDayOfService.  Also email them to Headquarters at [email protected].

Let us continue to honor our DAR heritage and Celebrate America! in all that we do!