The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is an organization with a deeply rich history while also being truly relevant in today’s world. More than 1 million women have joined the organization since it was founded over 125 years ago. They became members to honor their heritage as well as make a difference in their communities across the country and the world.
“Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible to join,” said DAR Regent Kay Adkins. “I became involved with DAR because my husband was involved with the Sons of the American Revolution. It took him a while to research his patriot, but I was able to find mine rather quickly.”
Adkins is a member of the Colonel George Mercer Brooke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which meets monthly in Sun City Center.
The organization was founded in 1890 with the simple mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. These timeless, overarching principles keep the DAR strong and vitally relevant in our ever-changing world.
This nonprofit, nonpolitical, volunteer women’s service organization, dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history and securing America’s future through better education, consists of over 190,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the world. The grassroots work of DAR volunteers promotes the organization’s objectives of historic preservation, education and patriotism.
“I love that we are active in our community,” Adkins said. “Volunteering and giving back to our community is one of my favorite part of being a member of DAR.”
Genealogy is by far one of the most popular hobbies in the United States. Expertise and skill levels vary considerably from novice to professional genealogy gurus. Joining DAR does not require an interest in genealogy, but it helps to have some knowledge of one’s ancestry.
“At the very least, you will need to gather documents for yourself, your parents, grandparents and possibly great-grandparents,” Adkins said. “DAR has volunteers who can assist you if you need help with your research.”
If you would like to learn more about the Daughters of the American Revolution, you can visit its website at www.dar.org. If you would like to learn more about the Colonel George Mercer Brooke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution that meets in Sun City Center, you can email Adkins at darcgmb@aol.com.
