chapter activities

Middle and elementary school students are invited to participate in essay contests on assigned subjects in American history. Schools are contacted for the purpose of awarding certificates and medals to outstanding essay authors, as selected by their schools. Entries are then judged by the Chapter and the best are forwarded for award consideration by State and National DAR American history committees.

At each meeting we observe an "Indian Minute" to recall the contributions of our first Americans. Recently, our Chapter established an Indian Scholarship Fund from which the annual interest goes to benefit Bacone College (in Muskogee, OK) and the Chemawa Indian School ( in Salem, OR).

For over 20 years, representatives from our Chapter have attended Naturalization Ceremonies in Alexandria. We express words of welcome to our new citizens and give each one a small American flag.

Members contribute holiday-appropriate greeting cards for the CardPal program, which supports an organization called Card Santa. The cards are distributed year-round to people in homeless shelters, hospitals, and to homes for abused women and children across the country to help them know that someone cares about them.

The annual report on Chapter activities is developed during a working Chapter meeting in January and is submitted by this committee to State and National headquarters.

This committee acts as liaison to the C.A.R. and encourages our members actively to support the activities of C.A.R. societies at the local, state, and national levels. A child of a DAR member is eligible for membership in C.A.R. from birth through age 21. The DAR application fee will be waived for a C.A.R. daughter, certified as "in good standing" for one year by age 18, who wishes to join the DAR.

The Constitution Week Committee observes and celebrates Constitution Week to emphasize the responsibility of protecting and defending the Constitution and preserving it for posterity, to understand that the Constitution is our great heritage and the foundation of our lives, and to study the historical events which occurred during September 1787. It is always celebrated September 17-23rd. Our Chapter traditionally rings bells on the 17th and places a display in a school.

The Commemorative Events Committee was established in 1992 to encourage state societies and chapters to review the history of their states and local regions, to identify opportunities for commemorative events, and to join in celebrations that support our historical, educational, and patriotic objectives. The Commemorative Events Committee was combined with the Constitution Week Committee in 2001, although the separate missions remain.

We encourage members to plant trees, to recycle, and also to conserve water. We have a monthly "Conservation Minute" attached to our meeting agendas and these "minutes" offer members many tips about conservation of resources.

The DAR Good Citizens Committee sponsors DAR Good Citizen essay contests for seniors at two Arlington County high schools (Bishop O'Connell and Bishop Ireton.) Each high school selects a "DAR Good Citizen" to whom the Chapter presents a pin, certificate, and a U.S. Savings Bond. One student is then chosen to represent the Chapter in competition against winners from all the chapters in Virginia's District V. It is our hope that he or she goes on to compete at the State and Regional levels, culminating in a National winner representing the entire U.S.

This committee monitors activities at the DAR Museum in Headquarters and reports to the Chapter about new exhibits and volunteer programs, such as Museum Docent Training.

Chapter members donate gently used clothing and collect Campbell's Soup labels to help support students at two schools founded by DAR State Societies: the Kate Duncan Smith DAR School in Alabama and Tamassee DAR School in South Carolina. Support for these DAR Schools is also a continuing State Junior Membership project as 10 percent of their sales of Innisbrook products (wrapping paper and other items) each year and 50% of sales of Junior Products go directly to the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund, which benefits them. Clothing, gift items, and labels are also sent to four other DAR-approved schools that help educate disadvantaged students. These schools are Crossnore School (NC), Hillside School (MA), Hindman Settlement School (KY), and Berry College (GA).

Arlington House Chapter supports veterans at the Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) in DC and VA by collecting donations at meetings and by volunteering to assist at special events.

o Donations of toiletries and new clothing, especially new white socks.
o Cancelled stamps support Stamps for the Wounded.
o Donations of hand knitted and crocheted afghans to the veterans at the VA Hospital in Washington, DC.

The committee provides flags, upon request, to schools, youth groups, and other concerns. This Committee arranged to have 25 flags flown over the U.S. Capitol for presentation to U.S. Figure Skating Association International Team leaders and these flags have been displayed in skating rinks while the

U.S.

teams compete for our country. The chapter also recently gave a flag to a Boy Scout troop in Harlem, New York City. One of our members is working with the troop and informed us that the troop had to share a flag with other troops so we provided them with their own American flag for flag ceremonies. In addition, at each Chapter meeting, our members observe a Flag Minute.

There are two DAR Library projects that provide volunteer opportunities:
o Making a list of the books on the DAR Library shelves that need an index (now working on states west of the Mississippi River)
o Creating a master "Everyname Index" of the Genealogical Records Collection books
These projects will help to make the records in the DAR Library accessible to researchers locally and all over the world via the Internet.

The Chapter places special emphasis on recruiting and retaining "junior members" who are our younger women between the ages of 18-35. Each year this committee supports the continuing State Junior Membership Committee Project, the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund, by selling Innisbrook products (wrapping paper and other items) and assisting with sales of Junior Products. A percentage of the proceeds goes directly to benefit two schools founded by DAR State Societies: Kate Duncan Smith DAR School in Alabama and Tamassee DAR School in South Carolina. Junior members are encouraged to become active in various Chapter committees and to serve as pages at District, State, and National meetings of the DAR. Events separate from regular Chapter meetings are scheduled in order for junior and senior members to get better acquainted and further support our Chapter.

This Committee promotes opportunities to work with adults and children in the areas of reading, writing, and language. Examples include volunteering in schools as a mentor, tutor, special events speaker, volunteering with English as a second language classes, and GED. In addition, this committee donated approximately 300 dictionaries to students at three schools in our area.

When a prospective member is referred to our Chapter, she is immediately contacted by telephone or mail and is invited to join us at a monthly meeting. Attendance at meetings introduces a prospective member to our Chapter, and this committee encourages her to seek the available assistance in completing her required genealogical research. A prospective member may ask to join the Chapter after attending two meetings and she will then have one year to complete her application papers. Upon approval of the application papers by the DAR National Board of Management, the Membership Committee presents a welcome package. However, if, at any time during this process, a prospective member is interested in looking at other chapters, the membership committee will try to assist her.

The National Defense Committee seeks to promote an enlightened public opinion. Chapter meeting programs occasionally focus on national defense topics. When National Defense is not a featured topic, a brief message is read. We also work with the American History Committee to talk to students in grades 5 - 11 about Good Citizenship and each June we award medals and certificates to those students recommended by their teachers. In addition, each May, we award a JROTC medal to an outstanding student in the JROTC Program at the Arlington Career Center.

The Chapter looks for opportunities to publicize our activities through the media and to attract new members.

A generous member of the Chapter donated funds in 2002 to establish the Gladwell-Vautrin Memorial Scholarship. This committee annually selects a deserving young woman (or women),

who is a U.S.

citizen by birth or naturalization and is graduating from a local public high school, to receive a college scholarship. In 2010, we were able to provide a $1,000 scholarship to an outstanding young woman from Mount Vernon High School, in Alexandria, Virginia.

This committee maintains our website and forwards communications received through the website to the appropriate Chapter officers and committee chairmen. The website is designed to publicize our efforts, keep our members informed, and provide contact information to prospective members looking for a Chapter in Arlington County and the Northern Virginia area.