Today's DAR
I pray this blog finds you and yours safe and healthy. I know that many of you are serving in healthcare and other roles that place you on the frontlines of this pandemic, and I thank you. I am also grateful for those who have stepped forward to complete service projects, including sewing Personal Protective Equipment, during these uncertain times. You make us all proud to be Daughters.
I thought it important to provide you with an update as to conditions at our headquarters and plans for our virtual 129th Continental Congress next month. While not an exhaustive list of all that is happening, it is a summary of the most pressing items.
- The District of Columbia has extended its Stay-At-Home restrictions and non-essential business closures through until June 8, or until the designation is lifted. As a result, most of our employees continue to work remotely. Essential functions are being fulfilled but we are for all intents and purposes closed for business. I ask for your patience and your understanding as we navigate these uncharted waters. I am very pleased to share that all our dedicated employees remain healthy. We have not yet furloughed anyone, and we will do our best to retain all our team members as long as possible. Your generous financial support of the General Fund makes this possible.
- Plans are being developed to conduct an online conference that is worthy to be called DAR Continental Congress. While we will never be able to replicate the excitement and grandeur of gathering in DAR Constitution Hall, we are doing our best to ensure that our annual meeting will be worthwhile. Please plan to log in to the DAR Members’ Website from home to participate in the Virtual 129th Continental Congress, June 24-28, 2020.
- As of this time, we intend to open Congress with an online ceremony on Wednesday evening, June 24, with additional evening sessions scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights as well as a Saturday daytime session. Electronic voting will occur on Saturday via a secure, independent website and results of the vote will be announced on Saturday afternoon. Congress will conclude on Sunday after a brief morning Memorial Service and the installation of officers. (There will be no daytime business sessions on Thursday or Friday.)
- Delegates have received preliminary information about the need to cast their ballots online; full instructions will follow in the weeks ahead.
- We all know that connecting with friends is an important part of our annual Congress, and so I am pleased to report that many clubs, states and groups are working now to plan their own virtual social events. We will post an online schedule of all the virtual Congress events that members are invited to participate in from around the country and world. Please check back to the Members’ Website in June for more information and a schedule of all the virtual events, online evening and business sessions and other engaging virtual content during the week of Congress.
- Many of you have inquired about the status of the DAR Insignia Store, which will debut at Continental Congress. Please know that, like the rest of American business, our manufacturers were impacted by a shutdown, which has reduced the immediate availability of some inventory. You have my commitment that we will add pins and other items to the site as soon as they become available once the economy reopens. Here again, I ask for your patience and your understanding during these uncertain times. Our Insignia Task Force has done a masterful job of executing this important task, but the pandemic interrupted their best laid plans.
