Today's DAR
We hope you are ready to Sparkle in Service at the 132nd Continental Congress! The Service to America Committee is excited to host the Sparkle in Service Night at the JW Marriott on the Ballroom level from 7-9:30 pm on Friday, June 30. This free, come-and-go event will provide Daughters an opportunity to interact one on one with many of our dynamic committees (more than 45 are taking part!), participate in Service in Seconds projects, and learn more about our Service to America through several micro-presentations. No RSVP is needed, cocktail/business attire is appropriate (no Insignia necessary!), and a cash-bar will be available!
Sparkle in Service Night Details
The Grand Ballroom will be divided into sections and in this space, we will have our Committee Showcase. Committees will be grouped by the following: Service and Member Engagement, Education and Historic Preservation, and Patriotism and Genealogy. Each visitor to the Committee Showcase will be given a passport to complete. Once you have acquired the necessary stamps you can turn in your passport for a chance to win prizes from DAR Insignia and the DAR Store! Drawings will take place throughout the night in the Capitol Ballroom.
Learn more about service and DAR in the Capitol Ballroom with a series of micro-presentations throughout the night. These 15-minute presentations include:
- “You’ve Got Talent”- identifies your talents and turns them into service to DAR.
- “Telling your Service Story”- provides tips and tricks on how to promote your chapter’s service projects and events.
- “A Spotlight on Service”- highlights chapter events and strategies for planning successful service projects.
In addition to these presentations, we will recognize the Service to America Outstanding DAR Day of Service and Service in Seconds chapter and state contest winners. There will be breaks between each presentation so you can explore the Committee Showcase!
Finally, make sure you stop by our “Service Station” in the lower level lobby area to log your Service to America hours and ask questions of the Service to America Committee. Our goal is to log 1 million hours of service during Continental Congress to beat the end-of-year rush! We will also have a Gratitude Station where you can express your appreciation to a special Daughter in your life by sending a note from Continental Congress (think about who you’d like to send a note to and bring her address with you).
Announcement of Second Annual Service Project
Sparkle in Service Night will also officially launch our Second NSDAR Annual Service Project focused on Education. In the second year of the Wright Administration, we will be counting the number of people who read to: children, students, veterans, adult literacy programs, etc.; and the number of books donated to public spaces: classrooms, libraries, community centers, VA clinics, and the DAR Library. During Sparkle in Service Night, Daughters are encouraged to bring children’s books to be donated to Books 4 Kids and distributed to seven military clinics in the Washington, D.C. area (including Walter Reed). Books should be new or like-new, non-religious, not scary or horror-themed, and have no adult content. The Service to America Committee will provide bookplates for the book donations and you will have the opportunity to color a bookmark to be distributed with our books.
In addition to collecting books, Daughters can make recordings of reading children’s books to be distributed to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and other children’s hospitals. Bring a book with you and we will donate it with the recording. We encourage you to practice reading the book a few times before you come. Don’t worry about being “camera ready,” the camera will be focused on the book! You can sign up to participate here.
Service Opportunities During Congress Week
In addition to Sparkle in Service Night, the Service to America Committee is excited to bring three other additional service opportunities during Congress.
For those arriving early, we have arranged for a service project in partnership with the National Mall on Monday from 9 am- 12 pm. Come dressed casually and ready to do some clean-up. We can accommodate up to 50 volunteers, and you do not have to stay for the full 3 hours. You can sign-up here.
On Tuesday, we have a Smoke Detector Installation event with the American Red Cross from 10 am to 2 pm. With this service opportunity, you will be educating and providing free smoke detectors to a local community. We will be working in teams and transportation and lunch will be provided! We can accommodate up to 30 volunteers. You can sign-up here.
On Friday, we will have a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross. This blood drive will take place in the Senate Room on the Lobby level of the JW Marriott from 12-5 pm. The first 100 participants will receive a thank you gift! You can sign up to participate here.
All Daughters participating in one of our Service to America service projects will receive an additional entry into our passport drawing on Friday night. We can’t wait to sparkle with you at the 132nd Continental Congress!
