The State Society has just received a new shipment of the very popular owl pins, created to help support the DAR Schools. The pins are $25 each and can be purchased by filling out the form on the CSSDAR Members’ website (under Forms and Publications link). It can also be obtained by going to the State committee web page. Send the completed form to State Headquarters in Glendora with your check made payable to, “Treasurer General NSDAR.” Please make sure you pay the shipping fee listed on the form. Get your order in early. We only received four dozen pins. There was a nationwide sell-out in September!!
The state chair and the state regent have received many questions about how to donate funds to help the DAR Schools and also to help with the State Society’s official project to maintain Pouch Cottage. Here are some Qs and As!
How do I donate money to Pouch Cottage through the State Society? Chapters and individuals may donate money to one of two funds managed by CSSDAR. The first fund is an endowment where only the interest each year may be sent to Tamassee for maintenance at Pouch Cottage. As you can imagine, very little interest comes from the endowment. Money donated to the Pouch Cottage endowment helps grow the principal. Next, there is a fund where chapters and individuals can send “unrestricted” donations on the State Remittance Form. This allows the state board to direct how these monies are spent at Pouch Cottage. The state regent contacts the school to inquire about needs, and the school also sends needs to the state regent. The board reviews bids and other information before it makes a decision to release funds for a project or a need at the cottage. This allows the State Society to work closely with Tamassee and Pouch Cottage staff to determine what the greatest needs are for the students and the cottage. This past year the dorm rooms at our very large Pouch Cottage were in need of having very old, stained and shredded carpet removed. The wood floors beneath the carpet were refinished; the rooms were painted, as well as the hallway leading to the dorm rooms. Please see the before-and-after photos in a recent Clarion article about the DAR School Tour. The State Society received word recently that the internet funds for Pouch Cottage had run out, so it sent a year’s worth of funds to cover this important educational tool for the students.
Should a chapter or individual send cash to students at Pouch Cottage? The answer is, “No.” You should also not send gift cards as these are considered to be cash. If you send cash to individual students, there is (1) no guarantee that the student is still living on campus (this can change without any notice); and (2) there is no guarantee the students will receive your cash. Cash can get lost in the mail, and it also can go missing once it arrives on campus. Chapters may contact the school to see if other items might be needed like towels, bed linens, board games, video games, movies. The students do like to cook and many chapters have sent cake, cookie, muffin mixes or other cooking kits. The best thing to do is to contact the school. Sending something the entire group can enjoy is the best way to go. The State Society currently has a project where chapters are sending “bee” grocery bags with healthy snacks to the students.
What is the best way to donate money to help all the DAR Schools? NSDAR encourages members to donate funds to the Friends of the DAR Schools using Form Dev-1003. This form is available on the DAR website. The Friends of DAR Schools Fund was created to provide general school funds, educational support, help for student needs, school building and equipment, and other educational requirements. The fund has been recently revitalized to better support the schools.
What is kinds of things are available for us to support with our donations? Members can direct that their donations go to any or all of the programs included in the Friends of the DAR Schools Fund:
· Educational Support for Post-Secondary Students: Support for higher education at accredited 2 and 4 year or technical institutions is available to students at Berry College and high school graduates from Crossnore, KDS, and Tamassee.
· Student Support: Contributions provide supplemental support to students attending one of the DAR approved schools, including school supplies, personal items, clothing, birthday and holiday gifts, book awards, snacks, or tuition scholarships for needy students.
· Buildings, Property, and Equipment: Contributions may be used for building, property and equipment support, such as new classroom buildings, classroom equipment and furnishings, computers, library books, gym equipment, remodeling projects or landscaping at any of the DAR Schools.
· General School Fund: For programs not covered by one of the targeted areas; donations may be used to supplement unique needs at any of the DAR Approved Schools.
How do the schools receive money from the Friends of DAR Schools Fund? The DAR approved schools submit project proposals to NSDAR. After review, the Executive Committee approves the allocation of funds for each project. The Friends of the DAR Schools Fund allows the NSDAR and DAR schools to work together to address the greatest needs of the schools and their students. Donors who give $200 or more are eligible to purchase the Friends of the DAR Schools from Hamilton Jewelers pin to be worn on the official DAR ribbon.
The California DAR Schools Committee hopes you will be generous in supporting the DAR approved schools through the Friends of DAR Schools Fund, and also through donations made to support California Pouch Cottage on the State Remittance Form.
Mary Ellen Mohler, State Chair
DAR School Committee
Mary.ellen.mohler@usa.net