Iowa Society

Daughters of the American Revolution

Service to America

1. To demonstrate the positive volunteer opportunities associated with DAR membership,
2. To quantify and describe DAR service work for current and prospective members,
3. To further engage Daughters in meaningful service work within the Society’s mission areas,
4. To encourage members to discover the rewards that come from volunteerism, and
5. To enhance the public’s appreciation of the relevant, dynamic nature of DAR service work.

Goal!

Our President General, Ann Turner Dillon, challenges NSDAR members to report 19 million hours of community service over the Dillon Administration three years in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the congressional approval of the 19^th amendment.

The 19^th amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was introduced in 1878. Forty-one years later, Congress finally approved it on June 4, 1916.  The amendment was sent to the states for ratification. This was the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States fought on both state and national levels. There were many outstanding DAR members such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard, and Alice S. Paul who worked long and hard to achieve the women’s right to vote. We honor them and our patriot ancestors by giving back our love and appreciation of their sacrifices to the citizens of this country through volunteer services.

WE CAN DO THIS!!

What is "Meaningful Community Service?"

“Meaningful community service” is defined as any activity benefiting those outside of the chapter and DAR. Members need to ask themselves these questions:

• Does the service benefit someone in the community or the community at large?
• Is the action one that is visible in the community?
• Is the action one that benefits those outside of the member’s family in any way?

If the answer to the above questions is YES, then this is community service!!

A. Examples of work that can be counted as volunteer service hours:

• Causes such as Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, etc.
• Homeless shelters or soup kitchens
• Working with disabled children and adults
• Crisis or assistance hotlines
• Stand Downs for military veterans
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Volunteering in churches (education, governance, shut-ins, etc.)
• Local cultural organizations such as theater groups, symphonies, museums, etc.
• Assisting local historical societies, sites and associations
• Community wide trash collection and recycling (not just personal)
• Transporting or sitting with those facing medical issues (non-family members)
• Serving in animal shelters and rescue operations
• Teachers’ before and after school activities directly overseeing youth activities (for which they are unpaid)
• Using one’s personal residence to support the efforts of local non-profit charities
• Providing support to foreign exchange students beyond basic room and board and board for which there may be minimal financial reimbursement
• Leading Scout troops and other youth groups
• Performing service with other clubs and organizations such as the Rotary, Lions, etc.
• Registering voters and serving as poll workers
• Presenting programs to outside groups but NOT DAR chapters

B. Examples of DAR activities that count toward community service.

• Working on DAR Indexing, Syncing, DAR Genealogical Preservation, or Supporting Documentation Projects including the Patriot Project objective
  
• Conducting lineage workshops open to the public (not just for prospective members or current members)
• Volunteering on behalf of veterans (such as “poppy day” sales, stand downs, work in veterans homes and hospitals, compiling care packages to active duty personnel, welcoming home active duty personnel, etc.)
• Genealogy research including processing of applications giving workshops
  
• Promoting literacy through tutoring or other volunteer support
• Gathering books for local libraries and others involved in literacy
• Collecting and mailing box tops and clothes to the DAR schools
• Organizing community events and celebrations including Constitution Week activities
• Participating in Earth Day activities, conservation work (i.e. Great Pollinator Project for personal residences, etc.), support of projects like recycling, etc.
• Supporting schools through classroom involvement - including American History Essay contests, Good Citizen essay contests, JAC contests, etc.
  
• Serving as volunteers at historical societies and sites
• Distribution of the Flag of the United States of America to new citizens and veterans
• Serving as DAR/C.A.R. chapter/society/state/national officer or chairman (meeting preparation, arranging speakers, communication with members and chapters, chapter board meetings used for planning, etc.)
• Attending/speaking in DAR meetings and forums (chapter/district/state/national)
  
• Volunteering as a Volunteer Information Specialist in support of chapters, state societies or the NSDAR
• Preparing chapter yearbooks and chapter newsletters
• Creating and monitoring chapter websites, Facebook groups, etc.
• Participating in Chapter Development and Revitalization workshops, planning and meeting with chapters, giving presentations, etc.
• Mentoring newly arrived immigrants as they begin new lives
  

C. Examples of individual activities that are NOT examples of community service:

• Praying for those less fortunate or government leaders
• Flying the Flag – this is a part of our civic responsibility as proud citizens
• Voting and jury duty
• Campaigning for political candidates
• Emailing those facing medical issues or in response to a personal genealogical inquiry on Ancestry.com. Emails represent an individual private act not an outward expression of service to the community
• Mapping out routes for personal routine trips to save gas
• Traveling to and from any community service activity
• Childcare for a child or grandchild or elder care arrangements
• Homeschooling
• Conservation efforts for a member’s personal residence

D. Examples of chapter activities which are NOT acceptable as community service:

• Attending chapter DAR meetings with no DAR work involved
  
• All travel to and from service projects and DAR meetings/events/etc.
• Making individual monetary contributions without any active service
  
• Participating in DAR webinars

• All service hours must be entered into the Service to America tally; this will provide a quantitative measure of volunteer impact. The CMR will NOT include any hours.
• This online tally system allows the tracking of the national cumulative number of member service hours throughout the year.
• Any member can log her individual community service hours anytime throughout the year January 1 through December 31. A member will log into the system by entering her state society, chapter name, and national number.
• Members-At-Large will also be able to report their hours by selecting the “Member-At-Large” option to log in.
• Chapter leaders will be able to log hours on behalf of their members for chapter service projects involving multiple chapter members. Remember to use the log out feature after saving a member’s service information!
• Chapter Regents and other chapter leaders with access to eMembership have the ability to review their members’ hours through the “Chapter Tally Report.” To ensure there is no double reporting, the Chapter Regent will be able to edit each member’s hours so the hours are not counted twice. (For example, a Regent entering the chapter’s hours for an event and a member entering her hours separately for the same event.)
• Be advised that associate members’ hours will be linked to their home chapters for inclusion in that chapter’s tally.
• For those members who do not log their hours using this online entry process, use a manual tally form. Information from these manual forms need to be entered by a computer savvy member. A PDF tally form has been developed. The online link is: https://www.dar.org/sites/default/files/members/committees/celebrate/pdf/Service%20to%20America%20Committee%20Chapter%20Tally.pdf

• Sharing within the chapter through a "Service to America" moment at the chapter meeting. Member should share their community service actiities in order to increase awareness among members and demonstrate the importance of making a difference in local communities.
• Second, chapter and members are also encouraged to report descriptively on ways their chapters have shown "Service to America" through their community service from January 1 through December 31. Public reporting is encouraged. These stories will reveal just how deeply the service is felt and how we, as DAR members, honor and celebrate our American heritage.
  

• Providing local/regional media (e.g. newspapers, radio, and television) with photos and narrative.
• Emailing photos and stories direct to Service to America committee.
• Sending comments to the Today's DAR Blog.
• Sharing stories on the DAR Facebook page. (http://www.facebook.com/TodaysDAR)
• Including stories via the narrative portion of the Chapter Master Report.
  
• Forward photos and stories to your State Chairman, National Vice Chairman, or National Chairman:
  1. Sharla Wilson Luken, National Chair
  2. LeAnn Reichenberg, North Central Division Vice Chair
  3. Lois Iseminger, State Co-Chairman
  4. Beth Iseminger, State Co-Chairman

The CMR has two questions about the Service to America committee.

1. Did your chapter include "Service to America" minutes at regular chapter meetings? (Note: Chapters should record activities and discussion in the minutes.)
   

2. If not already shared through the Service to America website, describe in detail how your members provided Service to America within your community through service to others. (Note: This description may be a recap of individual/chapter volunteer activities reported in other sections of the CMR. This committee reporting is NOT a contest.)

The National Day of Service is October 11 each year on the anniversary of NSDAR's founding. The National Day of Service is an opportunity for chapters to give back to their communities through volunteer service. Chapters are encouraged to plan events.

• National Committee Video Presentations Sharla Luken, National Chair, Service to America Committee, prepared a video presentation available through the NSDAR members' website. This presentation may be used as a chapter program. A PDF script is available corresponding to the video PowerPoint slides. (https://www.dar.org/members/continental-congress/national-committee-video-presentations) Then proceed to Membership/Service to America for the YouTube presentation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8_a_iPUUDY&feature=youtube)

• National Chair Reports - 126th Continental Congress (2017) Sharla Luken, National Chair, Service to America Committee, summary report of the Committee's activity and function to the NSDAR 126th Continental Congress is available for review. This report is informative.  (https://www.dar.org/sites/default/files/members/darnet/forms/ServicetoAmerica.pdf)

Lois Iseminger and Beth Iseminger