Society Saturday - Feeding the children of Haiti

To celebrate the 126th anniversary of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, every chapter was asked to do a community service project this week.  Our chapter chose to go to Feed My Starving Children.

This is a non-profit agency that uses volunteer groups to pack food that is sent to third world countries.  The food is dried rice, soy, vegetables and a vitamin powder. Because of the recent hurricane Matthew, the food we packed was sent to Haiti. 

Several members of the Isle a la Cache chapter DAR, along with members of the Pierce Downer C.A.R., had a fun and productive morning for our #DAR #dayofservice. 

Society Saturday - Writing Their Stories

Illinois Society Children of the American Revolution held their state conference in Moline Illinois.

State President Sarah Callahan presided over the conference.   Miss Callahan's project was "Writing Their Stories".  She raised money to help publish books containing interviews with veterans.

Members and seniors learned about all of the activities during the year.  Over the year, members learned about the Battle of Bunker Hill, conserving bees, George Washington's tent, and merchant marines.  They wrote letters to servicemen and sent donations to mountain schools.

Although there were reports, business, and voting for new officers, there was a lot of fun as well.  The children made new friends and renewed old friendships during the pizza party, pool party, and dance.

http://www.ildar.org/iscar/

Society Saturday - Spelunking with the C.A.R.

Every summer, the National President of  the National Society of Children of the American Revolution travels around the country with members of the N.S.C.A.R. Board and Senior Board.  They have fun skits and member participation workshops to help promote the current National Project.  There are 9 Regional stops on this Regional Tour.

The Great Lakes Regional was hosted by the Wisconsin C.A.R. in Madison, Wisconsin.  National President Erin Jackson has chosen to support the Museum of the American Revolution which is being built in Philadelphia.  Specifically, C.A.R. is raising funds to restore Washington's Headquarters Tent.

After learning about the C.A.R. projects and goals for the upcoming year, we visited the Cave of the Mounds.  This is a National Natural Landmark which was discovered in 1939.  Descending underground we saw many natural rock formations in the limestone - present and changing for the past 450 million years.  Much of the limestone is derived from fossilized animals from that period.  The only natural life form present now are microcopic snails in the water that drips from the ceiling of the cave.  This fact elicited a lot of eeeeewwwww's from the children.

After touring the cave, members had an opportunity to find their own fossils in a bag of dirt.

www.nscar.org

Society Saturday - Presidential Checks

The Pierce Downer Society, Children of the American Revolution met at the First National Bank in Lagrange, IL.  After our business meeting, we toured a very special collection at the bank.

The family that owns the bank has a private collection of checks that have been signed by the Presidents of the United States.  It contains original checks signed by 36 of our Presidents.

Each check is displayed, and several have interesting stories.  For example, the oldest check in the collection was written by George Washington as payment for a whiskey still at Mt. Vernon.

The check with Abraham Lincoln's signature was written to "self" for $800 monthly salary.  It was written just a month before his assassination.

http://www.fnblg.com/about-us/presidential-check-collection.html

Society Saturday - C.A.R. National Convention

The National Society of the Children of the American Revolution held their National Convention in April in Crystal City, Virginia.  Presiding was National President Caitlin Collins from Illinois.  She heard reports and led the members in celebrating the National Project "Pursuit of Happiness" for the past year - supporting Student Veterans of America.

Illinois Members before the banquet

The meeting culmonated with the Saturday evening banquet and dance with all of the members having a great time.  The "theme" for the year was Mardi Gras, and everyone had fun with masks and beads after the banquet.

www.nscar.org

Society Saturday - War Dogs Making it Home

The Illinois State Society of Children of American Revolution had their annual State Conference last weekend.

State President Callah Moree' McLeod did a wonderful job calling for reports, nominations, votes, and in general, running the 2 day meeting.  Twelve of the local societies in the state were represented and there were nearly 100 people in attendance.

Callah presiding at the State Banquet

C.A.R. is open to anyone, boy or girl, aged birth through 21 years who can prove descent from a Revolutionary War patriot.  It is a national organization with nearly 10,000 members.  The members learn patriotism, history and parliamentary procedure.  They hold offices and chairmanships.  Each member position has a corresponding Senior Leader position (22 and over).  The Seniors help guide the members.  Illinois is honored to be the home of the National President Caitlin Collins, who was in attendance, along with several other national officers.

Pierce Downer Society receives their Awards

Every year, the I.S.C.A.R. State President chooses a project to raise money toward.  Callah chose the group War Dogs Making it Home.  This is an orgaization that pairs Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and rescue dogs.  The vets participate in the dogs' training to become service dogs.  The dogs, in term, help the vets cope with their PTSD, and in some of the more severely affected, they even help the vets leave their homes and interact in the world again.

Callah sold lapel pins in the shape of dog tags with her logo and collected donations.  She was able to donate over $6000 to this worthy cause - enough to train more than 2 dogs.

Gary and Eva receiving the check from State President Callah McLeod and Senior State President Robert Collins

It was very special to see her present the check to Eva Braverman from the organization.  Eva was accompanied by Gary, one of the veterans.

National Officers from Illinois - National Corresponding Secretary Amanda Nagy, State President Callah McLeod, and National President Caitlin Collins.  They are standing in front of an awesome dog house custom made for the banquet by Mike McLeod.

www.nscar.org

www.wardogsmakingithome.org

https://www.facebook.com/WarDogsMakingItHome

Society Saturday - Arlington Heights Historical Society

The winter board meeting of the Illinois Society Children of the American Revolution was held at the Arlington Heights Historical Society, northwest of Chicago.

State President Callah McLeod and Senior State President led the meeting.  There were over 40 attendees, with standing room only.

Before enjoying lunch and the tour, the members gathered for a picture.

The Arlington Heights Historical Museum is actually comprised of five buildings.  One contains offices and meeting rooms.  The tour visited the other four buildings.  There is a replica log cabin which represented the home of the Dunton family, the first settlers in the area.  Next door is a coach house that contains exhibits of farm implements, historic dioramas and a school room.

There are two houses included on the tour - The Frederick W. Mueller home, built in 1882.  Mr. Mueller made his living bottling pop - "Arlington Club Soda" and the factory was in the basement of his home.  His daughter Minnie married Nathaniel Banta and built a house next door.  Both homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the highlights of the tour was the Martha Parkinson Mills doll collection, displayed in the Banta house.  Martha was a Senior Leader of N.S.C.A.R. and wrote the "C.A.R. Song" which is still sung at National, Regional and State meetings.

http://www.ildar.org/iscar/

http://www.ahmuseum.org/

Society Saturday - 2013 Great Lakes Regional Meeting

Every year, the National Board of the Children of the American Revolution travels the country on Regional Tour.  C.A.R. is divided into 9 regions consisting of 4-5 states each.  Each region hosts a meeting for members in that region where the National Board presents their goals for the year. 

This is the most "fun" meeting of the year because the Board uses skits and workshops to get their message across.  National President Caitlin Collins presented her National Project, supporting the Student Veterans of America.

Mary Poppins teaches the children how to wish

Prince Charming tries to find a Princess to take to the Grand March

The SandLot kids work on membership

At night, there was a banquet.  It is always good to see everyone dress up and act on their best behavior.  This is followed by a dance which the members (and some seniors) always enjoy.

 

Illinois State President Callah MeLeod reports on her state project.

 

All of the Illinois members and seniors before the dance begins.

 

www.nscar.org

 



Society Saturday - N.S.C.A.R. National Convention

Every year in April, the National Society Children of the American Revolution holds its National Convention near Washington DC.  Approximately 500 children and adults from across the USA come to Crystal City for this annual meeting.  Members of N.S.C.A.R. are age 0-21, after that, they "age out".  Each member Officer or Chairman has a corresponding "Senior" (age 22 and above) to help guide them in their office. 

The National President Greg Thorne conducted the meeting which spans 4 days and includes 3 board meetings, 3 general sessions, a banquet and a pilgrimage.  Member officers and chairmen give their reports, vote on bylaws changes, and elect new officers for the coming year. 

Greg's theme was Saratoga - The Turning Point, and his project was to fund a depiction of Trumbull's Sword Surrender scene at Saratoga, NY. 

Illinois members gather before the banquet

The annual pilgrimage occurs on Sunday and consists of a wreath laying at the tomb of the unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery, a wreath laying at Mount Vernon, installation of newly elected officers, and a memorial service.

National President Greg Thorne and Senior National President Hans Jackson place the wreath at Arlington

New National Officers are installed on the lawn at Mount Vernon.

Congratulations to Miss Caitlin Collins, the newly elected National President who will lead the organization over the next year.

Newly installed National Officers, all from Illinois - Corresponding Secretary Amanda Nagy, 

National President Caitlin Collins, State President Callah McLeod.

www.nscar.org

Society Saturday - Pierce Downer Pool Party

No, there wasn't a pool party in Chicago in October, I'm just late posting this.

The members of Pierce Downer Society, Children of the American Revolution met for their annual pool party (in August).  Members had fun in the pool, and in the sun.  They enjoyed refreshments and worked on plans for the upcoming year.

The members that day range in age from 2 months to 19 years.

One of the reasons that I enjoy having my daughters in C.A.R. is the friendships that they make.  The teenagers tend to take the younger members under their wing and help them along.  Members of all ages make friends from around the state and across the country by attending state and national meetings.  And, it's a good opportunity for children to learn about leadership, patriotism and history while having fun.

C.A.R. Regional Tour part 2

As I mentioned before, the National Officers and Chairmen of the Children of the American Revolution travel to other regions over the summer to meet C.A.R. members from around the country.

Since Amanda is a National Chairman, and I am a Senior National Chairman, we took advantage of the opportunity and traveled to the South Central Region and the South-Eastern Region.

The South Central Regional meeting was held in New Orleans - right in the middle of the French Quarter.  One of the skits that the National Board did was based on the movie "Tangled".  Here are some of the actors in that skit.  Amanda is the Ruffian/Thug with the hook.

Our tour at this Region was to the National WWII Museum.  I would highly recommend that you visit it if you are ever in New Orleans.  It depicts events leading up to World War II as well as everything that happened during the war and is extremely well done.  The 4-D movie hosted by Tom Hanks is very moving and not to be missed.

The banquet that evening was a Mardi Gras theme, so everyone had a mask.  Here is Amanda with her friend Callah.

After New Orleans, we drove to Pawley's Island, SC for the South-Eastern Regional meeting.  Our first day there we were treated to a beach party hosted by the South Carolina C.A.R.  We all had a good time, although it stormed off and on that day.

The tour for this region was to Brookgreen Gardens to see their sculptures and zoo.  The gardens were quite nice, although the mosquitoes were terrible!

We had fun traveling with the C.A.R. I think that it is a great opportunity for our children to meet others from around the country, to visit historical sites, and learn about other places.  We are already looking forward to next year's Regional tour.

C.A.R. Regional Tour

Every summer, the National Officers of the Children of the American Revolution tour around the country to meet the members and tell them about the theme for the year.  They stop in each of nine Regions and present their program through skits that they have written.

In Illinois, we are part of the Great Lakes Region.  This year, our Regional meeting was in Novi, Michigan.

Here is a skit that my daughter and her friend wrote to help raise money for the C.A.R. Voyager fund.  They were dancing to the tune "Friday".

Each region features a tour to a local attraction.  In Michigan, we went to Greenfield Village, a nationally renowned historic village.

The Regional meeting always ends with a formal banquet and dance.  Here is Amanda with National President Mary Lib Schmidt.

Mary Lib Schmidt is from Virginia.  She is the National President of C.A.R. for 2011-12.  Her theme this year is "Living the American Dream".  She is raising money to support the Fisher House foundation - an organization that provides lodging for family members of injured veterans while they are patients at a military or VA hospital. 

http://www.nscar.org/ 





Children of the American Revolution

I'm going to tell a little about each of the meetings I attended last week.  In no particular order, I'm starting with the last one I was at.  This was the National Convention of the Children of the American Revolution.  The C.A.R. is the oldest patriotic organization for youth, having been started in 1895.  Members are aged birth to 22 and hold office, run meetings, have chairmanships, etc.  They are assisted by Senior Leaders, who are members of the 3 parent organizations: Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution and the Sons of the Revolution. 
Membership requires proving descent from a patriot who rendered aid (military, civil or patriotic) to the American Revolution.
National President Benjamin Hinckley presided over the 2011 convention.  His project over the past year was to raise funds to buy a new display case for the "Great Essentials" documents - these are originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution that are housed in Independance Hall in Philadelphia.  During the year, members (and Seniors) learned about these documents.  His project was a success, and his National Convention was a success.  Did I mention that the National President is only 20 years old?
This was the most tiring part of the week - starting with a Senior Board meeting all day on Thursday, a tour of Washington's monuments by moonlight that evening, then meetings, banquets and parties and dances until the wee hours of the morning.  My daughter was involved in all of it - I went to bed earlier than she did.  The convention concluded with a Pilgrimage on Sunday for wreath layings, installations of new Officers and a memorial service (we had to fly home Sunday so we missed that part).
Our local Society won some awards and our State was honored for having the most C.A.R. members join DAR (many of them are in my own local Society).  It was a successful meeting.
  http://www.nscar.org/

Lineage Week is Coming!

Every year, members of many national lineage groups meet in Washington DC for Lineage Week.  It is actually 11 or so days of meetings, including breakfasts, luncheons, teas and banquets.  We meet many of our dear friends from across the US (and Canada) and talk about all the wonderful things the various societies do over the year.  And, we start planning for the next year.  My schedule is fairly non-stop from when I arrive Monday afternoon until I leave Sunday morning.  This year, I will be attending events for:

• Women Descendants of Ancient & Honorable Artillery Company (banquet) 
• National Society Children of the American Colonists (breakfast)
• National Society Daughters of the American Colonists (meeting and banquet)
• Order of the First Families of New Hampshire (tea)
• Order of the First Families of Maine (tea)
• National Society Daughters of Founders and Patriots (meeting, luncheons and banquet)
• Descendants of Sheriffs and Constables (tea)
• National Society Children of the American Revolution (meetings)
• Guild of Colonial Artisans and Tradesmen (tea)
• National Society New England Women (breakfast)
• Sons and Daughters of Colonial and Antebellum Bench and Bar (banquet)
• Sons and Daughters of Antebellum Planters (banquet)
• Associated Daughters of Early American Witches (breakfast)
• Descendants of Colonial Clergy (banquet)

Luckily, some of these are joint meetings, but I will still be eating all week!  And this is only about half of all lineage groups that meet - many overlap and we have to pick and choose which ones to attend.  I am a member of all the groups listed above and an officer or chairman of most of them, so those are the ones I attend.
I will try to update the blog during the week with all of our festivities.