Looking Back on 2024!

Before we ring in the new year, we wanted to CELEBRATE 2024 one last time by looking back on the remarkable accomplishments we achieved together. DAR’s service is vibrant, far-reaching, and stays true to the vision of our founders and our mission objectives of historic preservation, education and patriotism. We could not be prouder of our Daughters and every contribution that brings sparkle to our communities. The list below is just the beginning! Please click on the links to learn more.

• As part of the President General’s Project, we made significant progress in restoring Memorial Continental Hall, which had not undergone a full restoration since its completion in 1910. 
• DAR provided a $350,000 gift to support a permanent Women’s Suffrage National Monument to be located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to honor the history that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.  
• For the first time in the history of our National Society, DAR was approved as an official Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity. 
• We continued commemorating Revolutionary War tea parties by dedicating a DAR America 250! Patriots Marker in North Carolina to honor the courageous women of the Edenton Tea Party.  
• We dedicated our commissioned bronze statue of General Bernardo de Gálvez at the Veterans War Memorial of Texas in McAllen, Texas. 
• We were grateful for the distinct honor of celebrating the dedication of Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. 
• The DAR Library celebrated its diamond jubilee of 75 years: what began as a small collection of just 125 books now numbers nearly a quarter of a million! 
• Many visitors came to see the DAR Museum’s groundbreaking “Sewn in America” gallery exhibit that examined the role sewing has played American lives.
• Daughters from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C. for the third annual DAR Genealogy Research Institute.
• We sparkled and celebrated DAR’s legacy of service at the 133rd Continental Congress!
• DAR was honored to attend the 80th D-Day Anniversary Commemorative Ceremonies in Normandy, France.
• We held the groundbreaking and dedication for the official DAR Pathway of the Patriots in Yorktown, Virginia, to honor the men and women who achieved American independence.  
• More than 650 Daughters were thrilled to honor the Kate Duncan Smith (KDS) DAR School’s 100th anniversary Dedication Day activities in Grant, Alabama.
• Our Genealogy Department and volunteers reduced our supplemental backlog by nearly 50 percent and rolled out changes to streamline the application and supplemental processes. 
• Our Units Overseas chapters celebrated milestone anniversaries, including the Rochambeau Chapter’s (France) 90th birthday and the Captain James Cook Chapter’s (Australia) 40th.
• We traveled to Europe to commemorate a DAR America 250! Patriots Marker at the tomb of the Marquis de Lafayette in Paris, present DAR America 250! Commendation Medals in Spain, and place a DAR America 250! Patriots Marker and dedicate our commissioned marble bust of Filippo Mazzei in Pisa, Italy.
• At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, DAR was honored to attend the official government Armistice Day commemoration ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. 
• We unveiled a newly-redesigned DAR Website to modernize, simplify navigation, and improve functionality.

Many of these events represent the culmination of months—and in some cases, years—of work and preparation by members and staff, and we are so grateful for the generous support and contributions that made these accomplishments possible. What a privilege to Celebrate Stars & Stripes Forever through DAR Service and Friendship! Your DAR executive officers and I wish you a happy New Year and we look forward to serving together with you in 2025.