Help “Warm the Soles” of Students in Need
New Jersey DAR
You can make the future brighter – and warmer – this winter by donating socks for Native American high school students at Chemawa Indian School. The students come from across America and spend 8-1/2 months of the year at the school. Socks are always in need.
“For students on rural reservations or impoverished areas, Chemawa offers the opportunity for a quality education,” said Holly Dunbar, New Jersey DAR state chairman of the American Indians committee. “By promoting the study of Native American history, and encouraging students to participate in traditional practices, they are taking an active role in preserving America’s indigenous cultures.”
Chemawa students represent more than 70 different tribes, each with their own language and traditions. At the school, located in Salem, Ore., students are encouraged to share their culture and many participate in traditional singing, dancing and drumming. The school also hosts several Native gatherings each year.
To help preserve Native folkways, Chemawa offers classes in art, beading, basket weaving, and drum making. In addition, each student is required to take coursework in Native American literature and history, and must complete a senior project focusing on their own tribal culture, tradition and history.
This sock drive is hosted by the Elizabeth Snyder-Continental Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Any kind of socks, for girls or boys, are welcome and needed. The Somerset County 4-H is participating, and the members of Wattles and Snood 4-H Club will have a collection bin located at the Ted Blum 4-H Center, 310 Milltown Road in Bridgewater during the month of January.
If your organization would like to participate in the sock drive, please contact the DAR atESCchapterDAR@gmail.com.
Chemawa Indian School is one of several schools around the country serving disadvantaged or special needs students that receive financial and material support from the DAR. The DAR is a nonprofit service organization for women 18 and over who are descended from a Revolutionary War patriot. Learn more at www.DAR.org.
