A local civic club with patriotic ties is celebrating a major milestone.The Chestatee River Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will mark its 10th anniversary during a luncheon Saturday.Jane Sullivan, the chapter’s public relations chairwoman, said DAR is more than some people may imagine. “It’s funny, you know, because I think a lot of people have a misconception that DAR is a bunch of little old ladies who wear white gloves and hats,” Sullivan said. “We’ve certainly come a long way since [the national organization] first started.”That was in 1890 and the organization now has more than 165,000 members in some 3,000 chapters worldwide. Members must be able to prove a family tie to a patriot who served the country during the American Revolution. “So in that regard, I guess it is an exclusive type of membership, but we certainly welcome anyone to come to our meetings even if they don’t go through the genealogical process to actually prove their ancestry.”The Chestatee River Chapter boosts nearly 60 members, most of whom hail from Forsyth County. “We do have some that live outside of Forsyth and you don’t have to live in Forsyth to be a member of the chapter,” Sullivan said. She added that the chapter includes a variety of women.“The age span really is very wide. We have junior members who are women 18 or 20 years old, on up to members who are past retirement age,” she said. The group, Sullivan said, is active in the community, with members taking part in many activities. “We promote patriotism in the schools,” she said. “We have a yearly essay contest that we put on where we award scholarships. Of course, we work very closely with the VA, the VA hospitals, and the Wounded Warrior Project.” She said education and serving veterans and active duty service men and women are the organization’s three main focuses, but members also can sign up for several committees that cover everything from flag etiquette to women’s issues. “Most recently as a chapter we’ve adopted a portion of Settingdown Road and that’s part of our environmental focus,” Sullivan said. During the luncheon Saturday, the members will hear from their state regent, Virginia Grace Lingelbach, at Country Club of the South in north Fulton. “Because it’s our 10-year anniversary, the state regent wanted to come and say a few words to everyone as part of that celebration,” Sullivan said.
A local civic club with patriotic ties is celebrating a major milestone.The Chestatee River Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will mark its 10th anniversary during a luncheon Saturday.Jane Sullivan, the chapter’s public relations chairwoman, said DAR is more than some people may imagine. “It’s funny, you know, because I think a lot of people have a misconception that DAR is a bunch of little old ladies who wear white gloves and hats,” Sullivan said. “We’ve certainly come a long way since [the national organization] first started.”That was in 1890 and the organization now has more than 165,000 members in some 3,000 chapters worldwide. Members must be able to prove a family tie to a patriot who served the country during the American Revolution. “So in that regard, I guess it is an exclusive type of membership, but we certainly welcome anyone to come to our meetings even if they don’t go through the genealogical process to actually prove their ancestry.”The Chestatee River Chapter boosts nearly 60 members, most of whom hail from Forsyth County. “We do have some that live outside of Forsyth and you don’t have to live in Forsyth to be a member of the chapter,” Sullivan said. She added that the chapter includes a variety of women.“The age span really is very wide. We have junior members who are women 18 or 20 years old, on up to members who are past retirement age,” she said. The group, Sullivan said, is active in the community, with members taking part in many activities. “We promote patriotism in the schools,” she said. “We have a yearly essay contest that we put on where we award scholarships. Of course, we work very closely with the VA, the VA hospitals, and the Wounded Warrior Project.” She said education and serving veterans and active duty service men and women are the organization’s three main focuses, but members also can sign up for several committees that cover everything from flag etiquette to women’s issues. “Most recently as a chapter we’ve adopted a portion of Settingdown Road and that’s part of our environmental focus,” Sullivan said. During the luncheon Saturday, the members will hear from their state regent, Virginia Grace Lingelbach, at Country Club of the South in north Fulton. “Because it’s our 10-year anniversary, the state regent wanted to come and say a few words to everyone as part of that celebration,” Sullivan said.