Scottsdale-chartered Grand Canyon Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution was represented by 22 members at the society’s 125th Continental Congress June 15-19 in EDAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
Since the founding of the society in 1890, DAR has held its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Those in attendance at this year’s anniversary event included a record-breaking 4,268 Daughters, representing 180,000 members worldwide, to celebrate patriotism, education, and historical preservation.
Friday night members celebrated service in America, revealing DAR members served more than 14 million community service hours over the last three years of President General Lynn Forney Young’s administration.
The keynote speaker of Saturday’s National Defense Night was Secretary Robert McDonald, of United States Department of Veterans and Affairs, who leads an ambitious transformational journey to be a world-class service provider to the No. 1 customer-service agency in the Federal government, giving veterans consistent, high-quality experiences.
Gary Sinise was awarded the DAR Medal of Honor, for more than 30 years of supporting our nation’s veterans. Collaborating with Vietnam Veterans groups, Disabled American Veterans Organizations, and most recently the USO, Mr. Sinise has worked tirelessly to show support and gratitude for those who protect our freedom and serve our country. After portraying Lt. Dan Taylor in the landmark film Forrest Gump, Mr. Sinise formed an enduring connection with service men and women throughout the military community.
The finale to this 125th Continental Congress was the reveal of the DAR breaking a Guinness World Record for Patriotism, for “Most letters to military personnel collected in one month.” Achieving this ambitious goal required the National Society to collect and then mail at least 10,000 letters to active-duty service members. Daughters across the country rallied in support of the effort, which was governed by strict rules. An official GUINNESS WORLD RECORD TM adjudicator was present to conduct the verification process and announce the results. The audience, including the night’s special guests, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald and the USO President and CEO, Dr. J.D. Crouch, all went wild when the tally surpassed 100,000. The DAR had collected 100,904 letters, more than 10 times the minimum threshold needed to set the record for most letters to military personnel collected in one month! “Congratulations—you are officially amazing!” the adjudicator proclaimed.
On Sunday June 19, the 125th Continental Congress closed with the installation of new officers. Terri Turner Mott, of Grand Canyon Chapter, was installed as the Arizona State Regent 2016-2018.
DAR is open to any woman 18 years or older who can trace her lineal descent to a Revolutionary War patriot. To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.DAR.org.
Grand Canyon Chapter will hold their next meeting on September 3, 2016. For information about Grand Canyon Chapter DAR in Scottsdale or to attend a monthly meeting, contact regent Susan von Hellens at 480-366-4888 or [email protected].
