Today's DAR
Sincerest thanks to the thousands of DAR volunteers who are answering the call to service during the global pandemic. Since March 21, 2020, DAR members in 1,300 chapters from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five Units Overseas have made and donated more than 700,000 total homemade personal protective equipment (PPE) items to those in need. The total includes more than 618,000 facemasks and more than 96,000 other PPE items. Hundreds of thousands of people in need have received donated masks and other PPE items from DAR members, including medical patients, Native Americans, veterans, military personnel, migrant workers, students, teachers and others.
DAR Homemade PPE Count Surpasses 700,000!
How did the Mask Project get started? Every wonderful service project begins with a great idea. Many Daughters stepped forward to suggest that the National Society undertake a project to create masks. With the support and encouragement of President General Denise Doring VanBuren and Executive Liaison Peggy Carney Troxell, the Service to America Committee launched the National DAR Service to America Mask Project on March 21, 2020.
Among the first volunteers was Historian General Laura McCrillis Kessler. After a 20-year hiatus from sewing, she dusted off her mother’s vintage sewing machine, a 1957 Singer Slant.O.Matic Model 401, and began sewing face masks and donating them to local postal workers, supermarket employees, a chiropractor and even a local meteorologist in her New Hampshire community. “Making cloth face masks for essential workers and those in need is a way for me to give back to my community. One of the best parts of the project, is delivering the masks. It’s a heartwarming experience as it’s a time when I am able to thank the individuals for their work, letting them know that they are valued and appreciated,” said Mrs. Kessler. “It’s wonderful to see their expressions, smiles and genuine appreciation for the National DAR Service to America Project. This project is an outstanding example of how our members are ‘Rising and Shining for America,’ one mask at a time!”
Another early supporter of the Mask Project was Louisiana Daughter and expert seamstress Margaret Tyler. Mrs. Tyler and her daughter Caroline, who is also a DAR member, organized a 100-person sewing group called “The Spirited Stitchers” through their church, the First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge, LA. When asked why she sews masks, Mrs. Tyler said, “Anybody who has a God-given gift, whether it be sewing or anything else, rises to the occasion when there’s a time of crisis like the COVID pandemic. You see the need, and then you just do it!” Since late March, “The Spirited Stitchers” have sewn and donated more than 25,000 homemade face masks to hospitals, Native American communities, migrant workers, churches, school children and thousands of others who could not otherwise afford to purchase masks.
Daughters have not only been busy sewing masks, they have also been making other pieces of PPE. Oregon Daughter Corey Martin, her husband and their two C.A.R. member sons (ages 11 and 14) have made more than 60,000 “ear savers” using their five 3D-printers. “Ear savers” protect the ears from chafing while wearing a face mask with elastic. Corey said, “We hope that our small impact has brought some pain relief to medical professionals, first responders and military members, allowing them to have one less thing to worry about in this stressful pandemic world.”
Sew with Us!
Daughters, our work is not done! We need your help sewing and donating face masks since there is an ongoing need for face mask donations. Donation requests for thousands of face masks have been received through our National DAR Service to America Project website. Please help DAR in fulfilling these requests by signing-up to sew masks at http://fssdar.com/sta/volunteer/. Join fellow DAR and C.A.R. members in providing face masks to organizations and individuals who need them, including migrant workers, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, school children, teachers and others in need. Each mask makes a difference!
How many masks and other PPE have you made?
Please also help us capture the magnitude of the National DAR Service to America Mask Project by entering the masks and other PPE items you have donated into our DAR Mask Count Survey @ http://surveymonkey.com/r/DARSTA2020. The survey can be filled-out multiple times as new masks and PPE items are made. You can also check how many masks and other PPE you have recorded into our DAR Mask Count Survey at: https://www.dar.org/members/committees/check-your-mask-count.
Thank you to all of our outstanding mask makers, other PPE makers and our Service to America Committee team, aka “the Mask Task Force,” for their dedication as we Rise and Shine in service to America!
DISCLAIMER: Fabric face masks made by DAR volunteers are not medical grade and are not guaranteed to treat or prevent disease. They are created in furtherance of CDC recommendations that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Recipients should determine on their own whether a fabric face mask is suitable for their needs.
