State Regent’s Message: September 2023

Greetings, California Daughters!

It is Fall Council time and I hope you are as excited as I am! The Councils – one North and one South – are a great way to kick off the new DAR year. After Continental Congress, the state board and your hard-working committee chairs have been energetically planning these inspiring, educational, and fun filled events. A new workshop on “Awarding Excellence in our Communities” will be in the form of a panel discussion. The members of the panel will provide you with information on the many awards given by the Society, had how to find candidates. Another workshop will give you pointers on how to make your Chapter Master Report Sparkle! I hope you will attend! If you are not able to make it this year, make sure to ask someone in your chapter – who did attend – to fill you in on all the details. There truly is something for everyone!

Another one of the workshops is on the upcoming America 250! Celebration. There will be plenty of great inspiration and ways for your chapter to begin the party! Speaking of parties, did you know the celebration starts this December – with the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea party? That’s just a few short months away – December 16 to be exact! Don’t worry if it crept up on you, there will be many more America 250! anniversaries in the coming years. As the excitement builds throughout our country, placing an America 250! marker will highlight the service you provide your community, as well as acknowledge this once-in-a-lifetime commemoration. The theme of this administration is “Growing Together in Service and Friendship”. Use this to work together with other chapters in your area to place a marker, if the cost is prohibitive.

I hope you have our Teas marked on your calendar as you plan your upcoming year. The California Heritage Tea is scheduled a little earlier this year: Saturday October 28, 2023 in Fair Oaks near Sacramento. The program on Heritage Bridal Gowns is sure to be a hit. The Victorian Tea is scheduled for Saturday December 9, 2023 at our Headquarters in Glendora….we just might be commemorating another Tea Party that occurred in December….250 years before! Grab a friend or a prospective member, or reconnect with someone you haven’t seen for a while, and enjoy these events.

By working together, we can accomplish so many amazing things. As we begin this “New DAR Year” let us make a resolution: This will be a year of cooperation and friendship – growth for us personally, and in our chapter. The sky is the limit as we “Grow Together in Friendship and Service to God, Home, and Country”!

Thank you!

Sharon Maas
State Regent

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State Regent’s Message: August 2023

Greetings, California Daughters!

I hope our California Daughters have been keeping cool during this hot summer! As we head into August and the “dog days” of summer I am sure we are all looking forward to the cooler temperatures in the Fall! While the thermometer might say summer, the calendar is inching towards Back to School. August is a great time for chapters to take advantage of Back-to-School sales to stock up on supplies our classroom teachers will need throughout the year. A great Community Classroom “service in seconds” project is to stuff backpacks with supplies and snacks for those students who might need a little assistance. Don’t forget the teachers, classroom aides and administrative personnel at school; they can always use some appreciation too! You can sneak in information about becoming a member to the adults and work on membership as well!

Back to school is when we start introducing our contests into the schools: DAR Good Citizen, American History Essay Contest, and the Patriots of the American Revolution DAR High School Essay contest. The DAR also has many resources for teachers, including lesson plans on the National website under the Community Classroom Committee page. There is even one for the upcoming Constitution week September 17-23 – and don’t forget the Constitution Week poster contest!

As you can see there are many opportunities to fulfill the Education portion of our mission. Planning projects and programs that apply to multiple committees on the Chapter Master Report is a great way for your chapter to sparkle! Speaking of the CMR, we will teach you just that: how to make the most of your chapter’s efforts with a fun and informative workshop at Fall Council!

The kick off of a new DAR year is a great time to publicize your chapter. How we serve our communities makes us relevant today even though our mission has not changed for one hundred and thirty-two years! Not sure how to highlight your chapters sparkle in your community? Recognize some excellence in your community and give an award! At Council there will be a workshop about how to use DAR Awards to publicize your chapter and shine in your community.

The “Calls to the Council” for both the Northern and Southern meetings are out – and we are anticipating lots of fun, fellowship, and collaboration! You don’t want to miss out! Use this link to discover the details – and find out how to register!
https://members.californiadar.org/index.php/district-officers/cssdar-council

As we head towards the fall, our chapters start business meetings again and the councils will inspire you to new heights in service and friendship. That is really what makes us come back to the DAR – special friends with a common link to service. So, grab a friend, or even better, bring someone new, and enjoy shopping, learning and maybe even a little dancing as we grow together in friendship and service to God, Home, and Country!

Thank you!
Sharon Maas
State Regent

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Chapter Chatter: District XI Chapters Enjoy a Day of Fun Together

Four District XI Chapters met at Riley’s Farms in Oak Glen July 21, 2023. They were Aurantia, Highland, Luiseno and San Antonio. CAR members, SAR members, along with family and friends enjoyed participating in workshops on The Stamp Act, Admiralty Court, 18th century games and more. We learned how to march, turn and fire muskets as a militia. It was like stepping back in time for a moment! Over fifty guests attended.

We had a warm day, but there was plenty of shade and comfort in the house built in the eighteen hundreds. The food was wonderful-especially the cornbread, and apple pies made with apples from the farm’s orchards.

It was great to spend time with our sister chapter members and friends!

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Chapter Chatter: Sacramento Chapter has a Riveting Visit to the Rosie the Riveter Museum

On Saturday, July 15, 2023, the Sacramento Chapter, led by Regent Sandy Parker, escaped hot Sacramento to enjoy the Rosie the Riveter Museum in cool (literally) Richmond.

An informational video brought World War II Richmond to life, including interviews of workers who lived there at the time. There were surprising facts throughout the museum about WWII Richmond population growth, the fight for gender and racial equality, early covered healthcare, the successful production of many war ships, and more. Many of the exhibits used audio to enhance the experience.

There were also plenty of photo opportunities and a small gift shop. The visit was interesting, educational, and just plain fun! The museum is part of the WWII Home Front National Historical Park and entrance is free and there is a small café nearby if you want to stay for lunch.

Definitely a must see!

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Chapter Chatter: Aurantia Chapter Collects Worn and Tattered American Flags

Aurantia Chapter accepted donations of worn and tattered American Flags over the Fourth of July weekend. We received 63 flags.

Some of the flags will go to the VFW Post for proper disposal. The chapter works with Veterans Honoring Veterans to cut out and package raised stars. Along with our gratitude card, we give our Veterans these recycled and honorable mementos. Members receive a smile and thank you every time we give one!

In this way, our beautiful American flags live on!

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Chapter Chatter: Don José de Ortega Flag Day Luncheon is a Success

Don José de Ortega chapter’s 52nd Annual Flag Day Luncheon and Fundraiser (FDL) was a huge success! Close to 100 DAR members from all over the San Fernando Valley and beyond attended the FDL. State Regent Sharon Maas, along with several national, state and district officers, were among those who enjoyed the day. It was a delight seeing ladies chatting with those they hadn’t seen since last year’s luncheon, and with newly made friends. The constant murmur and louder chuckles made our event committee smile.

Throughout the morning, the hustle and bustle of eager ladies slipping raffle tickets into the bags or signing the silent auction forms could be seen. All items were very popular, especially the two special raffle items – a raglan wrap made by the Crossnore weavers with five one-of-a-kind pins made by one of our DJO members and a money cake worth $275.

The luncheon featured an American Buffet complete with apple pie for dessert! After lunch, Chatsworth chapter member Donna Victor, whose parents were USO entertainers, presented her outstanding program, “USO and the Entertainers.” Afterwards, a buzz of excitement began to fill the air as the raffle and silent auction winners were announced. A good time was had by all and promises to be back next year were heard as participants left. A big thank you goes to FDL Chair Cathey Sinai and her committee for another successful Flag Day Luncheon and Fundraiser.

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Chapter Chatter: 566 Graves Cleaned by Rincon del Diablo Daughters

On June 17, 2023, eight Rincon del Diablo members cleaned graves at Miramar National Cemetery. We were thanked, repeatedly, by a number of family members who were so appreciative that we were taking care of their loved ones and our veterans.

Together we cleaned 566 graves for Father’s Day the following day. We enjoyed working with Miramar National Cemetery and will be planning another opportunity to service our veterans’ graves in the fall.

Thank you to Service to America Chair Lynn Graupmann for organizing this Service to America project!

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Chapter Chatter: San Clemente Island Chapter’s Community Outreach

The San Clemente Island Chapter Daughters hosted a DAR Community outreach booth at the San Juan Capistrano Summer Nites concert at the Downtown Historic park. This fun night was the first in a series hosted by the City of San Juan Capistrano. The Chapter’s goal was to educate the community about the mission of the DAR as well as attract prospective members. The Chapter was able to connect with five new perspectives during the concert!

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Chapter Chatter: Highland Springs Chapter Cleans Civil War Veterans Gravestones

On the cool morning of Friday, June 16, 2023, six Highland Springs Chapter Daughters gathered at the Pioneer Memorial Cemetery to fulfill our Service to America project goal. In keeping with the Wright Administration’s First Annual Service to America Project, our goal was to clean and help preserve the gravestones of Civil War veterans buried at the Cemetery, some of which were almost completely covered in dirt.

After selecting the gravestones to attend to for that day, we cleared the headstones of overgrown grass and dirt. We then sprayed the headstones with water, and applied D/2 Biological Solution and waited the required amount of time to let it soak in and start working. We then set to work using soft bristled brushes, wooden craft sticks and rags to remove as much of the centuries old dirt and dark residue as possible.

We cleaned 15 gravestones that day, and the results were truly gratifying! Before cleaning, much of the engraved names and dates could not be read, but with the use of D/2 and some elbow grease, the graves look so much better. By participating in this project, we were able to help the descendants of these veterans preserve the visible legacies of their family members’ service to our country and demonstrate what service to our veterans looks like.

We enjoyed it so much, we already have another date of service scheduled to clean the remaining Civil War veterans’ gravestones!

Photo from back to front: Glenda Page, Deborah Knowlton-Czarnecki, Cheryl Larick, Cheri Zuccarelli and Susan Lovelace.

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State Regent’s Message: July 2023

Greetings, California Daughters!

Continental Congress is well underway, and I hope you are here enjoying the all pageantry and fun. If you did not make it this year, we are missing you. Each event has gone off flawlessly, at least to the participants. We all know that even with the most precise planning there are hiccups, but no one notices them except those that are in charge! That is the beauty of a well thought out and well-planned event. I hope that you will plan to join us next year and don’t forget to make plans to attend in 2026 to celebrate the Semi-quincentennial.

Planning is such an important part of the DAR and how we complete our mission of Patriotism, Education and Historic Preservation. In the summer months chapters meet to plan programs and service for the upcoming year. Special events are planned sometimes years in advance. Your state executive board makes plans to attend as many events as we are invited to – so keep those invitations coming.

I hope that you are making plans to attend our Fall Councils. There will be fun and informative workshops and a great program. We will have our exhibit room full of great project ideas and displays. Those state committee chairs are busy planning their offerings. You can begin your planning by clicking on the link to make your reservation. The Northern Council (https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1681143121067&key=GRP&app=resvlink) dates are September 8 and 9, and the Southern Council ( https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1677799145978&key=GRP&app=resvlink ) dates are September 22 and 23. Every great plan has a beginning – you just need to start!

A great place to start is to sign up and take the Committee Leaders course. It is free and has really great information about our committee system. Pease contact Noma Bruton, the chair of the course https://members.californiadar.org/index.php/chapter-officers/leadership-development A key part of the course is learning how to plan an event or a project. This information can be used for almost any project or event at the chapter or state level, or for you personally to attend any Council, State or National event.

Enjoy your summer. Take part in a summer social or summer service project. Plan on returning to your chapter refreshed and ready to roll up your sleeves and dive into whichever committees your chapter chooses – to serve your community. This is how we complete our mission and Grow Together in Friendship and Service to God, Home and Country!

Thank you!
Sharon Maas
State Regent

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Chapter Chatter: Santa Clara Chapter Raises $6000 for Honor Flight

Santa Clara Chapter is incredibly excited to announce our $6000 donation to California State Regent Sharon Maas’ State Regent’s Project for Honor Flight. Since August our chapter has been hard at work raising money for Honor Flight. We held a clothing drive for Savers thrift store and collected over 4000 pounds of goods to sell to the store, gathered from our closets, our neighbors, our family members, our coworkers, and the community through a drive-through drop-off event.

Throughout the year we passed a helmet for donations at chapter meetings and received donations from so many generous chapter members. We set aside chapter funds raised and donated by all of our members, and in April we threw a fabulous tea benefitting Honor Flight, complete with hats, gloves, and a fashion show.

Photo L to R: Sarah Rao, Regent; Lisa Rose, State Librarian; Gwen Dapper, 1st Vice Regent; Kim Guzman, Tea Co-Chair; Suzi Logan, Chaplain and Tea Co-Chair; Nancy Hughes, Honorary Chapter Regent and Service for Veterans Chair; and Phyliss Lee, our meeting guest speaker from Honor Flight.

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Chapter Chatter: General John A Sutter Chapter Present Community Service Awards

For the second year in a row, the Community Services Award Committee of the General John A Sutter Chapter, consisting of Dianne Poppert, Chair and Sue Frost, Member, presented awards to the following at our May 16, 2023 meeting.

David and Chris Ishikawa: a husband and wife team serving with Troop 380 of the Boy Scouts in the Rosemont area for more than 30 years. David is a Scoutmaster (the highest unpaid volunteer job in Scouting), taking the Scouts on Camporees; Jamborees; teaching them to lead meetings; care for equipment; and much more. His wife Chris serves on the board, having many duties, including scheduling Scoutmaster meetings and evaluation of applications for Eagle Scout, the highest (and coveted) Scouting Badge.

Mary Anne Povey: recognized for her community service efforts in the town of Orangevale, as a volunteer for the Orangevale Chamber of Commerce and the Orangevale Community Council. She was recognized for her mentorship efforts in connecting local business leaders with high school students to teach young people the importance of giving back to the community. She actively reports on local businesses in social media to help residents know more about them.

It was truly an honor to recognize these outstanding individuals who do so much for our community and our children.

These awards received favorable press in the Carmichael Times, the Citrus Heights Messenger and the American River Messenger.

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Chapter Chatter: Anne Loucks Chapter Outing

The Anne Loucks Chapter, located in Martinez, CA, spent their June Outing learning about the 1200-mile-long Anza Trail from two National Park Rangers. In 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza arrived at San Francisco, leading 30 families from New Spain (Mexico) up through Alta California on an overland colonizing expedition. After determining the sites for the Presidio and Mission Delores, Anza and his exploration party surveyed the East Bay area over a period of about a week before rejoining the main party. They followed Indian trails as far east as Antioch, passing through our chapter’s “backyard.” Segments of the Trail can be visited by present-day explorers.

The John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez also houses the interpretive center for the Anza Trail on its site, called the Vicente Martinez Adobe. It was built in 1849 and is currently closed for structural repairs. It is the only interpretive center along the Trail so it is significant, and we plan to assist in its restoration. The NPS is planning a 250th anniversary recognition that parallels with our DAR America’s 250! Celebration.

Vice Regent Lynne Hill states, “Our chapter is looking forward to collaborating with the National Park Service (NPS) and our community to raise awareness of the Anza Trail in the San Francisco East Bay. This project will provide many diverse opportunities to educate us about the earliest people who lived in California. We will be building towards our two significant 1776 – 2026 commemorations in the next few years.”

The photo is the group in front of the Vicente Martinez Adobe. Park Ranger, Ives Humphreys, is on the left.

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Chapter Chatter: Rincon del Diablo Honors Vietnam Veterans and Surviving Family

It was an honor and a privilege to welcome 20 Vietnam veterans and eight surviving family /members at our June chapter meeting. Over 80 people attended (our largest meeting to date) as we celebrated our veterans and commemorated the Vietnam War. Rincon del Diablo is a Commemorative Partner of the United States of America Vietnam Commemoration that was founded in 2012 by Presidential Proclamation. Veterans and surviving family members received the Presidential Proclamation, brochures explaining the commemoration, a Vietnam veteran button and of course, their lapel pin.

We had an emotional speaker, Regent Jenn Halter’s neighbor, Zoom Duong, who recounted her experience escaping Da Nang in 1975 at age 11 when the Viet Cong invaded the city. There was not a dry eye in the room. She is the ultimate refugee success story and is eternally grateful for the military men and women who helped her and her family on their journey to America.

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Chapter Chatter: Santa Monica Chapter’s Annual Tea

Santa Monica Chapter’s annual membership tea on June 3, 2023, was a fun way to end our 2022-2023 DAR programming season with five new members taking the oath, two prospective guests and many chapter members celebrating with them. The weather was warm and sunny and so were dispositions.

Bottom row (L-R): Lucy Bailey, Pamela Hibbert, Janet Walther, Carol Anderson (McCulloch), Gail Windsich, Margaret Phelps, with Erica Brookhart (in front), Lee Hanson, Cris Clark, Susan Rosenthal

2nd row (L-R): Boofie Graham, Kathryn Williams, Regent Linda Martinek, Robin Lithgow, Barbara Feick

Top row (L-R): Diane Jenkins, Elizabeth Curtis, Sara Cole, Angie Quigley, Vicki Borland, Michelle Kincannon, Jennie Weiner, Deidra Stauff, Susan Cambigue-Tracey, Francie Goodrich (behind Barbara Feick)

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