Each February, our Valentines for Vets program delivers handmade Valentine cards and goodie bags or toiletries to veterans in local nursing homes—-the residents are always very appreciative!
In March, we celebrate the area high school recipients of the DAR Good Citizens Award with a reception. We also recognize Women in American History, choosing an honoree who has made a contribution or a difference in her community. Honorees are added to the national DAR database.
In June we have a Flag Day program, open to the public; we also collect donations earmarked for a local veterans group, and collect tattered flags for our local American Legion, for a proper disposal.
In September, we celebrate Constitution Week to commemorate the historical events surrounding the creation of the U.S. Constitution. We work with local cities and towns to issue proclamations, and distribute bookmarks and posters to local libraries.
October is the month of the founding of DAR. To celebrate this event, chapters everywhere engage in a DAR Day of Service. In 2023, our chapter planned a project to locate and photograph the gravestones in the Huntington Burial Ground in Shelton that were missing photographs on the Find-A-Grave website. We searched for 92 grave sites and found 47 — a 51% success rate! We are enthusiastically looking forward to this fall’s project.
On Veterans Day, we’ve served free donuts and coffee at the Shelton Veterans Day Ceremony for over 15 years. In 2020, we honored our veterans with a Virtual Driving Tour of the Veterans Monuments and Memorials of Shelton, Derby and Ansonia. View the tour: Virtual Driving Tour of Veterans Monuments and Memorials in Shelton, Derby and Ansonia.
This is just part of the work our chapter accomplishes, thanks to our members getting involved!