Eli Skinner NSDAR Chapter participates in the DAR's National Day of Service to support homeless Veterans
The Eli Skinner Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, had a Build-A-Hat-For-A-Vet workshop at its fall meeting in honor of DAR's National Day of Service, part of the National Service to America Committee's work.
DAR was founded on Oct. 11, 1890, as a service organization. As DAR members celebrated the 129th anniversary of the organization's founding, members in chapters all across the country, including those of the Eli Skinner Chapter here in Arlington Heights, Palatine and surrounding communities, worked on myriad service projects as part of the National DAR Day of Service.
Founding daughter, Eugenia Washington, stated, "We want a society founded on service."
DAR members have been giving meaningful service promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism within their communities for 129 years (dar.org).
The Eli Skinner Chapter set a goal last spring to sew, knit, crochet or purchase 700 warm winter hats for homeless veterans to keep them warm during our cold Chicago winter. Members have been making hats since spring, with last winter's arctic cold in mind, in hopes of keeping 700 homeless veterans a little bit warmer this winter. The chapter sewed 75 polar fleece hats, assembly-line style, at the DAR Day of Service workshop. That 700 hat goal was met in mid-October. Those 700 warm hats will be donated to the Chicago Standdown (chicagostanddown.org) in November. The Chicago Standdown has been serving homeless veterans in the Chicago area and surrounding states since 1993. Their goal is to honor our nation's heroes by helping veterans in need. Chapter members also made some scarves and fleece-lined felted wool mittens that will also be donated to homeless veterans.
Chapter members taught Reaching Out Lifting to Excellence (ROLE) parents at Partners for Our Communities (POC) in Palatine how to make the felted wool mittens that are sewn out of repurposed wool sweaters that have been felted and then lined with polar fleece for the fourth year in a row. The mittens are extremely warm, good-looking, and so warm, each pair being lovingly made for a homeless veteran. ROLE members also learned to sew the polar fleece hats this summer and completed over 70 of them, all out of donated polar fleece.
The Eli Skinner Chapter, NSDAR was founded in the area in 1946. There are currently 178 members in the chapter. The chapter meets monthly at the Palatine Public Library for a business meeting and program promoting its mission of historic preservation, education and patriotism. Daughters are vibrant, active women who are passionate about community service, preserving history, educating children, as well as honoring and supporting those who serve our nation. The service project of donating 700 warm winter hats was undertaken in memory of member, Judy Nuccio, who passed away in the past year. She had been the chairwoman of the Service to America Committee for the Eli Skinner Chapter since the committee was formed on DAR's 125th anniversary.