Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about my first year as chapter regent. What an adventure it’s been since that 2020 post! There was that Friday student-award luncheon on March 12, 2020, when my Good Citizen Award Chair ran into our colonial-era meeting venue, handed me her folder of award details, and apologized that she had to run off to prepare her Montessori teachers to teach completely virtually by that Monday.
There was the wonderful visit by our PSSDAR state regent, Elizabeth Watkins, to our 2020 Constitution Luncheon held outside in a wedding tent because of Covid-19 concerns. Then, many Zoom meetings later, we celebrated our annual June picnic with catered boxed lunches in a pavilion.
These were challenging years for all of us, but in some ways, it brought us closer together. I’m so thankful to our executive board members who each called chapter members to assure them that they were thought of and appreciated during the Covid shutdown.
I understood that, as a non-political, non-sectarian organization, our Gettysburg DAR chapter could be visible in our community doing service, and proudly loving our country. In this way, we visibly lift up our nation through hard times of doubt or division.
I am so proud of all of our Gettysburg chapter members for pulling together in love of service. We refurbished an historical society museum, provided new patriotic children’s books for our county’s elementary schools, honored our local veterans and welcomed new US citizens. I’m proud that we celebrated our own chapter’s history through chapter history minutes and scrapbooks while at the same time celebrating local historic preservation at Rock Chapel, the National Apple Museum, Historic Gettysburg and Adams County’s Barn Restoration Project, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Society, and the National Eisenhower Historic Farm Site, and the Gettysburg Foundation.
While looking forward to serving as our South-Central District Director, I am excited to continue our own chapter’s comradery, new learning opportunities, great service, and fun that our meetings and events offer. DAR is truly a wonderful adventure!
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