DAR Honors Native Americans and Veterans
Submitted by Holly Dunbar
November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate indigenous peoples and their contributions to the nation. Members of the Elizabeth Snyder-Continental Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) accepted a Heritage Month Proclamation from the mayor of Green Brook and the Township Committee on October 16. The chapter requested the Proclamation as part of a DAR national initiative.
“Green Brook is honored to have a chapter of the DAR within the township,” said Green Brook Twp. Mayor Jim Van Arsdale. “We appreciate their good work in the community as well as their passion and desire to educate the public about our past.”
“We want to thank Green Brook for recognizing this celebration of Native Americans,” said Holly Dunbar, DAR State Chairman of American Indians. “Our area was home to the Lenape long before Europeans arrived. Their legacy lives on in their descendants, their words for places, plants and animals that we use today, the food crops that they developed, and their trails that are now our roads and highways.”
November is also a time to remember and honor those who have served in the military. On Veterans Day, November 11, the DAR honored local veterans in a ceremony at The Chelsea in Warren.
“This is an opportunity to thank our veterans and let them know how much we appreciate their service,” said Regent Ashley Salsano. “Their dedication and sacrifice have preserved our nation’s freedom. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.”
The chapter’s recent DAR Day of Service projects included collecting holiday gifts for the veterans at Lyons V.A. Medical Center and gathering donations of pet supplies for the Plainfield Area Humane Society Shelter; an estimated $750 worth of goods were donated. Members also cleaned historic headstones at Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church in Bernards Twp.
DAR is a nonpolitical, nonprofit service organization open to women 18 and over who can prove descent from a patriot of the American Revolution. Based in Green Brook, Elizabeth Snyder-Continental Chapter will celebrate the chapter’s 128th anniversary in January. New members are welcome, email ESCchapterDAR@gmail.com.
