Celebrating the 2021 National DAR Day of Service
Mary Tedesco, National Chair, Service to America Committee

Each year on or near October 11th and throughout October, DAR members celebrate the National DAR Day of Service in honor of our Society’s founding on October 11, 1890. Volunteer service is a cornerstone of DAR’s mission. As DAR Founder Eugenia Washington said, “We want a society founded on service.”

How to Participate in the National DAR Day of Service (on or around October 11th)

All members and chapters are encouraged to take part in the National DAR Day of Service by engaging in meaningful community service activities that support DAR’s mission of historic preservation, education and patriotism. Choose a worthwhile project that you are passionate about such as sending cards of encouragement to active-duty military, collecting books for school children in need, cleaning gravestones in a cemetery, organizing a community blood drive and many more. Be creative and have fun! There are countless ways to make a difference in your local community.

Then, be sure to post on social media about your National DAR Day of Service projects using the hashtag #DARDayOfService. Service project details can be posted on your personal, chapter and state society social media accounts. Also, share National DAR Day of Service photos and stories in the Service to America Facebook group. This will help raise awareness for DAR’s mission and demonstrate the vibrancy of Today’s DAR.

Service to America Award – Submit Your October Service Projects!

The Service to America Award for Outstanding National DAR Day of Service Project recognizes outstanding meaningful community service projects completed by three or more DAR members during the month of October. Chapter regents are asked to submit service project entries starting on October 1st, though the deadline of December 15, 2021. Submitting an Award entry is easy using our online SurveyMonkey form. The two Service to America Award national winners, one chapter and one state, will be recognized at NSDAR Continental Congress 2022! Click here for additional details and submission instructions for the Service to America Award.

The Chapter Master Report and Participation in the National DAR Day of Service

Chapters who participate in a community project as part of the National DAR Day of Service will earn 25 points on the Chapter Master Report (CMR)! This field is not auto-filled, so if your chapter participates, please select "yes" in response the question in the Service to America section of the CMR.

Record Your Service to America Hours into the Online Tally

Please record your volunteer hours for National DAR Day of Service projects and all other volunteering into the Service to America Online Tally. Help us capture the magnitude of DAR volunteer service! For guidance about what counts as Service to America, please click here. Each year, the annual Service to America hour total is included in DAR’s annual reporting, which is filed with the Smithsonian Institution. During the VanBuren Administation, Daughters have already recorded over 10 million volunteer hours. Let’s see how high we can go.

Thank you for Rising and Shining in Service to America this October and all year long!

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Historic Preservation,
Education, Patriotism

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