At their January 2023 meeting, Bakersfield Chapter Daughters generously supported active-duty military through their “Snacks & Socks” project coordinated by DAR Project Patriot Chapter Chair Cookie Gover.

Eight boxes of Valentine love, notes of appreciation and 44 copies of American Spirit Magazine were packed and sent to South Korea, the USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), Oklahoma and Camp Pendleton.

This project was a great success due to our generous members and HODARS! Not only did the members donate the goodies and magazines, they also donated enough cash to cover all postage

San Clemente Island Chapter supported Mission San Juan Capistrano’s holiday event, Capistrano Lights, with a patriotic DAR Christmas tree. Each community tree included a description of the organization and our tree highlighted the NSDAR goals of Patriotism, Education, and Historic Preservation.

The Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Unit is coming to Poway!

On Tues., Jan 17, the Rincon del Diablo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will be hosting the Wreaths Across America (WAA) Mobile Education Exhibit. The Exhibit will be at 14038 Midland Road, Poway, from 10am-4pm. Tours through the exhibit take about 30-60 minutes. We hope you will plan part of your day to join us.

The mission of WAA is to Remember the Fallen, Honor Those Who Serve, and Teach Our Children the Value of Freedom, but also bridge the gap between active-duty service members, veterans, and civilians.

The goal of the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is to bring local communities and our military together with education, stories and interactive connections.

The 48’ exhibit is equipped with a 24-person screening room that showcases the different aspects of the WAA mission through video. To the front of the exhibit there are three interactive computers to showcase locations, trucking supporters, and general wreath sponsorship questions. Also, in the front is an education wall of information on the different areas of WAA and where the mission will be going in years to come.

The purpose of the Mobile Education Exhibit is to not only teach the next generation about service and sacrifice, but to share stories of patriotism and love of country to communities around the United States.

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus will be our honored guest for the Opening Ceremony at 10:00 am.

Presidio Daughters recently delivered dog supplies and baseball caps with the names of various branches of military service to the “Paws for Purple Hearts” (PPH) organization as part of the Chapter’s Project Patriot.

This first of its kind program offers Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy, also known as Canine Assisted Therapeutic Intervention, to Veterans and active-duty military personnel.

The concept is simple; those with PTSD, TBI and/or MST help PPH trainers with service dog training. Soothing, light-hearted contact with PPH puppies and dogs, together with caring and capable trainers, eases a Warrior’s symptom severity.

It helps suffering Warriors learn all over again how to trust. Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy gently guides Warriors to learn once again how to connect with others, both dogs and humans. Over time, Warriors who participate regain that sense of purpose that comes with accomplishing an important mission – training a lifelong service companion for other comrades in need.

A field trip to the organization’s Menlo Park headquarters to see the pups in training is planned for this spring!

As we pause and look back over the chapter activities this year, we have accomplished much.

San Fernando Valley Chapter had a few ups and downs, like most, but we’re stronger working together. We did some amazing things for our community and for our chapter members. We worked on the Master Report together, even though it was still part Zoom, we made Valentines for Seniors, HeArt kits for students, presented awards and certificates. We toured the local Mission, wrote letters for Veterans and active duty members, packed Operation Gratitude boxes, shared information about our flag and Constitution Day. Members donated items for a food bank food drive and of course we participated in the Wreath Across America program! Thank you members, we couldn’t do it alone!

We’ve helped and enjoyed District meetings, attended State Conference and Southern Council, we helped and enjoyed the Victorian Christmas Tea. We learned so much and have lots of information we share in our newsletter. We love the Wonderful Guest Speakers, from the Pilgrims history, traveling the USA, to writing our own stories.

We are truly Blessed and want to thank those who have helped us along the way. It’s been a crazy year but our members have come together and we are grateful to be able to serve.

“Growing together in Friendship” for “God Home and Country”

Happy Holidays and may this be our Best New Year!

The Don Jose de Ortega Chapter is happy to announce that we are once again offering a $1000 college scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. We are looking for a junior, senior, or post-graduate student in a field of science, medicine, mathematics, or education, or for a nursing student who has completed at least one year of a 2 year program.

If you have a friend or relative who might be interested in this scholarship, please have him or her contact us at stowerscmte@gmail.com. The instructions and application will be mailed or emailed to the student, and the deadline for submission of applications will be January 31, 2023. Please share this information with the college students in your lives!

El Marinero Chapter presented a certificate, ribbon and $500 check to outstanding Cadet Sebastian Arenas of the Civil Air Patrol, Marin Search & Rescue Composite Squadron 23 at the annual Civil Air Patrol banquet.

Santa Clara has partnered with Operation: Care and Comfort (OCC) in their program to Adopt a Military Family for the holidays for the last few years. This year as we began to review candidate families, there were several recently experiencing stages of homelessness. The Committee decided that rather than focus on a single family, that we would reach out to four that had been presented to us as options, which included 24 family members.

The Committee quickly went to work to address this challenge, arranging for gift cards and member donations of holiday goodies. OCC supplied new socks, beanies and other warm weather gear to supplement the chapter donations and added additional gift cards. Items were packaged in goodie baskets, hand-sewn holiday stockings were stuffed, and festive Santa bags filled to be delivered to the families to help brighten their holidays as they wait for housing.

Point Vicente Chapter celebrates our member Kristy Mandigo Kinkor for receiving the International Society of Women Engineers #WE22 award. The specific award is The Prism, one of four in the world! The Prism Award recognizes an individual who has charted their own path throughout their career and has provided leadership in the fields of engineering or engineering technology and professional organizations along the way.

Kristy volunteers her time at the Raytheon Management Club as well as the disability network within her company. She donates her time and money to the Daughters of the American Revolution, Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts and the Epilepsy Foundation. She has been working to launch a nonprofit through Disability in Southern California.

She is also a published author of “Ask Why But Not Why Me,” an uplifting reflection on her childhood, education, and career as she struggled with and overcame the challenges posed by a disability.