Proud to Be an American – and a member of Today’s DAR!
Denise Doring VanBuren, President General

What a memorable Opening Night Ceremony! It was such a privilege to recognize last night’s honorees. In particular, it was a thrill to honor Lee Greenwood, and I can hardly wait to have him join us in person next year at DAR Constitution Hall! If you missed Opening Night, you can view the entire ceremony here.

And I know that you also surely enjoyed the presentation of our NSDAR Excellence in American History Book Award recipient. Want to learn more about Washington’s board of advisors? You can order The Cabinet in the DAR Store now.

View the President General's Thursday video message

Last evening also afforded us the opportunity to highlight some of the wonderful accomplishments of the last year, such as updates to the Honoring Our Patriots website, which now includes a section on our E Pluribus Unum Educational Initiative, DAR’s five-year effort to increase awareness of underrepresented Revolutionary War Patriots; and the DAR Museum’s new online exhibit, “Remembrance of Noble Actions: African Americans and Native Americans in the Revolutionary War".

We also unveiled a new DAR coloring book titled “Our Patriots,” offering middle school students an opportunity to learn more about the men and women who achieved American independence. The engaging book is available at the DAR Store and will also be sold at historic sites such as Mount Vernon, as well as online from various retailers, with a portion of sales benefitting our Society.

I was thrilled to announce the new Our Patriots DAR Podcast, which will officially launch July 4 to honor the legacy of the men and women who achieved independence. I hope that you will take time to listen to these recordings as they release two per week over the course of this summer. I also request that you promote their availability to others, as we together carry forward our joyful obligation to educate the public about our Patriots’ courage and achievements.

This morning, we go live at 10 a.m. ET to officially call Congress to order and then to hear the reports of your Executive Officers and those of half of our State Regents. Later, we look forward to sharing the Units Overseas and Historic Preservation luncheons. I will meet virtually with the New York Daughters this afternoon for our online state event. Isn’t it such a joy to reconnect with the women who have encouraged us and supported us throughout our DAR journeys? While we may not be together in person, that won’t stop us from being together! I hope that you will make time to connect with women from your chapter, state, committee, etc. in order that we strengthen our bonds of friendship.

Today’s Announcements:

1. Don’t forget to the visit the Virtual Congress Insider’s Guide to find everything you need in one convenient place. You can read the Congress Herald each morning to stay fully informed. Connect with the Virtual Congress Events Hub to be a part of all of our Virtual Congress events. Be sure to follow Congress social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2. Make sure to “stop by” the DAR Insignia Store this week! All purchases through July 4 will receive a complimentary DAR Insignia Store polishing cloth! After just one year of in-house operation, we now have more than 500 official pins in stock for your official ribbon. Come: get your bling on!

3. Be sure to tune in for tonight’s program! We will begin our Education Awards Night at 7 p.m. ET. I look forward to introducing you to our American History Essay Contest Winners, recognizing our Outstanding Teacher of American History and presenting our Outstanding Junior Member Contest finalists and winner.

We have together amassed so much of which to be proud during the last difficult year – join me throughout Congress to celebrate our achievements and our bright future as a Society of patriotic women dedicated to an enduring mission.

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Through restoring historic properties, funding scholarships and supporting our troops, DAR makes a difference in local communities.