 DAR
Service for Veterans
Jeanne McMillan, Chairman
Introduction: Hello, I
am Jeanne McMillan from Urbandale, IA. I am
proud and honored to serve as the DAR Service
for Veterans State Chair during the Steinke
Administration and as the VAVS Deputy
Representative for the Des Moines VA Medical
Center. I also serve as National Vice Chair DAR
Service for Veterans for the Wright
Administration. I wear my heart on my sleeve for
veterans. I know that Iowa Daughters are
passionate about veterans and my hope is to
encourage and support your ongoing projects,
ideas, thoughts, feedback and your continued
honor for veterans. Below are some of my
projects I would like to share for Daughters to
take back to their chapters and I look forward
to meeting all of you at our upcoming Fall
Forum.
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve for Veterans:
At our Fall Forum please come visit me. I will
be passing out heart pins to place on your left
sleeve which is closest to your heart. Wear your
heart pin with pride and share with others the
meaning of your pin. Kindness for Veterans
Rocks! One of my Committee projects will be
asking chapters to design Kindness Rocks for
veterans. The kindness rocks can be placed at
table settings for a veteran’s luncheon, ask
permission to place on a veteran’s food tray in
the hospital, place in a veteran’s gift bag,
make several for your veteran family members and
surprise them on Veteran’s Day with a lovely
keepsake., leave at the doorstep of a veteran
you know. The ideas are as endless as the
designs. I plan on having a small table at Fall
Forum with kindness rock items for Daughters to
design a kindness rock and take back to their
chapters.
Missing Man Table: I am challenging every
chapter in Iowa to place a Missing Man Table in
a public establishment during Memorial Day,
Veteran’s Day and Patriot’s Day. These tables
are a beautiful, subtle reminder of our POW,
MIA, and fallen comrades. You may think of
asking your church, library, grocery store, and
all the box stores for permission to place a
table in honor of all or veterans that are
missing or have been lost to us.
Shoebox Project: I read about this project
and loved the idea of the Shoebox Project. The
concept is to fill a shoebox with items that
will fit in a shoebox for both women and men
veterans and even children of veterans. The
boxes can be shoe boxes decorated or wrapped or
even pretty purchased boxes the size of a shoe
box. Fill it full of goodies and deliver them to
your local homeless veteran’s shelters, your
outreach centers that care for veterans, to your
churches to distribute to veterans or check with
your local CBOC (Community Based Outreach
Clinic) to see if they would distribute them to
their veteran clients. I know that I have taken
beautiful care packages somewhat like the
Project Shoebox to my local CBOC, and they were
truly appreciative.
Visit Our DAR National Website www.dar.org:
Visit our Service for Veterans Committee
Page on our National Website. There is so much
fabulous information for all DAR Members to
learn about Service for Veterans. If you are a
VAVS Rep or Deputy Rep there is now available,
just posted during CC a new VAVS Handbook 101.
It is an amazing document you will want to read.
Please become active in WAA (Wreaths Across
America), Honor Flights, Women Veterans,
Veterans History Projects and so much more.
In conclusion: I am here for you! I am
here to serve all of you. Please know I will
help your chapter in any way I can. Be sure to
take lots of pictures of your chapter in action
and send them to me. Remember to take notes for
completing your chapter’s CMR Service for
Veterans Section. It is an honor to serve the
Steinke Administration and each of you.
Jeanne
McMillan
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