- Meet the New Director of Development
- Updates on President General’s Project, Lay Light Restoration
- We Want to Meet You!
- Julie Theroux: Balancing Career, DAR, and Saving the Earth
- Exclusive: Meet the New Director of Genealogy!
- What is Your DAR Passion?
- New Founders Club Members
- New Heritage Club Members
| Meet the New Director of Development! | ||
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Spring brings new beginnings and things are changing all around us. This is certainly true in your Office of Development. Since February, three new staff members have joined our department, including myself. It is my honor to join the National Society as your new Director of Development. For the past 30 years, I have served as a nonprofit executive. My career began with planning and executing major special events for national voluntary health agencies throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Lung Association, March of Dimes, and Epilepsy Foundation. I have a proven track record in association management, program development, revenue generation, and volunteer and staff development. Over the last 25 years, I have presented at multiple national meetings and written several articles on the topics of nonprofit management and development. Over the last seven years, I was the Executive Director of the Antietam Healthcare Foundation at Washington County Hospital. There I led a successful $16 million capital and endowment campaign. I have built my career on helping others bring their philanthropic dreams to life and I am looking forward to continuing this mission at NSDAR. I am proudly, albeit slowly, working on my DAR application. With such a rich history of philanthropy and mission-driven success here at NSDAR, I am excited to serve you. You can reach me at [email protected] or (202) 879-3343.
Two additional staff members, Planned Giving Associate Sandi Van Dolson and Development Associate Jaclyn Glover, have joined us over the last four months. Both are currently working on their DAR applications. A 2011 graduate of James Madison University, Sandi previously worked as a Student Development Assistant at her university’s local nonprofit radio station for more than 5 years. As the Planned Giving Associate, she helps steward the Founders Club, handles RSVPs, and assists the Gift Planning Specialists. Sandi enjoys exploring D.C., meeting new people, visiting friends, and reading a good book. If you have any questions about the Founders Club or Charitable Gift Annuities, you can reach Sandi at [email protected] or (202) 879-3320. Jaclyn recently received a master’s degree from The George Washington University, and is also a 2010 graduate of Worcester State University. Before coming to NSDAR, Jaclyn interned in the development department at a local museum. When she is not busy keeping up with weekly gift acknowledgements and maintaining the President General’s Project Donor Wall, Jaclyn enjoys visiting museums, shopping, painting and volunteering. She can be reached at [email protected] or (202) 879-3285. We are all looking forward to meeting you at Continental Congress! Please stop by the Office of Development, located on the third floor of the Administration Building. Refreshments will be available, and staff will be on-site to update you on projects benefiting from your support and answer your questions. Yours in Service, Sandra Pollack |
| Updates on President General’s Project, Lay Light Restoration | ||
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On April 20th a historic moment occurred at National Headquarters as a 100-plus-year-old lay light panel was lowered to the ground. To spontaneous applause and cheers from observers, workers removed and packaged the lay light panel for transport. This first step is critical in learning how to best remove and restore the panels. Last August, a rare 5.8 earthquake occured in Virginia and effect the Washington, D.C. area, prompting an evaluation of the National Headquarters buildings. It was discovered that the beautiful glass ceiling —called the lay light—in the DAR Library is in critical condition. The architect’s reports states, “It is actually remarkable that pieces of glass have not fallen to the Library floor.”
The study showed that the 25 laylight panels in the DAR Library and two above Memorial Continental Hall stairwells have been deteriorating for years. Unfortunately, limited access to the space above the lay light combined with inadequate working conditions made proper inspections of the lay light nearly impossible in the past. In order to preserve the beautiful and historic “glass ceiling” element of the DAR Library, immediate repairs must happen. Roughly $1.6 million is needed. This expense is totally unexpected and outside the initial scope of the other vital projects that have been undertaken or planned by the Wright Administration. Members from all over have shown support. More than 25 states, chapters and individuals have pledged to raise funds for a full panel or a portion of a panel. This dedicated sponsorship will be acknowledged on a special lay light donor wall. Members who give $100 or $1,000 will be eligible for the Wright President General’s Project pin or Benefactors pin, respectively. A gift of $250 or more will be recognized through a plaque on the President General's Project Donor Wall. If you, your state or chapter would like to be involved, no matter what level, please contact the Office of Development at (800) 449-1776 or [email protected]. |
| We Want to Meet You! |
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After talking with you on the phone all these years, the Office of Development wants to put your face with your name! Please stop by our office the week of Continental Congress anytime between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday, June 24 through Saturday, June 30 and 10 a.m.— 4:00 p.m. Sunday, July 1. We’ll have refreshments available, and staff members on hand to answer your questions and assist you with your giving needs. Information will be available about giving clubs and ongoing philanthropic opportunities with NSDAR. Are you interested in information on creating a legacy gift and receiving recognition in the Founders Club? NSDAR gift planners will be specifically available at these times: Tuesday 8—10:45 a.m. Our office is located on the third floor of the Administration Building, next to the DAR Museum offices. We look forward to seeing you! |
| Julie Theroux: Balancing Career, DAR, and Saving the Earth | ||
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Today’s DAR are active women who balance community service with work, families, and friends. Julie Theroux of Framingham, Mass., exemplifies this as she balances family, her work as an environmental specialist, and her DAR service. Julie joined DAR in 1994 when she discovered she had a Revolutionary soldier as an ancestor. Her active involvement started when Patricia Viles, regent of Julie's chapter at the time, asked her to chair the American History Essay Contest. “I try to dispel the myth and tell people that we are more than tea parties and dressing in period outfits,” says Julie. When she tells people about DAR, she focuses on the scholarships, grants, and supporting active-duty service members and veterans. “Many people are surprised to hear about these things.” She attended her first Continental Congress in 1996, meeting Daughters from all over and researching a new ancestor. “I remember getting my 'first' year ribbon and many ladies helping me out that first year,” exclaimed Julie. “I was hooked!”
Another passion of hers is the environment. She received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Unity College, Maine, and a master’s degree in Environmental, Occupational, Health and Safety from Anna Maria College, Mass. While working on her master's, she also served as the Massachusetts State Society Recording Secretary and Chapter Registrar. She has spent the last 26 years as an environmental specialist, working on projects such as addressing a $50 million consent order for illegal environmental impacts and clearing highway and bridge projects.
One of her biggest accomplishments was working in Glacier Bay, Alaska, on a research project investigating the impact of pleasure vessels on mother/pup seal mortality rates. The outcome of the research was the closing of Muir Inlet to cruise ships during the birthing season of harbor seals. “We need to protect our environment so future generations have a healthy, clean place to live.” Julie now works for the United States Postal Service focusing on sustainable environmental practices and compliance. Just as Julie looks toward the future of the earth, she wants to ensure that NSDAR will stand for generations. “I enjoy and am honored to be a member of such a service organization,” says Julie, who created a legacy gift with NSDAR. Leaving a gift in her will ensures that she can make a difference in the operational and maintenance costs of the historic DAR National Headquarters. “What a way to be remembered.” |
| Exclusive: Meet the New Director of Genealogy! | ||
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This past winter after 14 years of service, Terry Ward retired as the Director of Genealogy. Three of the top 10 totals for most applications verified in a year occured during Terry’s nine-year tenure as director. Darryn Lickliter has stepped up to fill Terry’s stylish shoes. He hopes to surpass last year’s total of 11,676 verified applications and perhaps beat the all-time high of 13,805 applications approved in 1921. Read on to learn about Darryn’s work at DAR, his favorite historical places to visit, and why a bull in a graveyard is just as bad as one in a china shop. What part of delving into the past interests you most? My eighth-grade social studies teacher required us to trace our family tree back four generations. As soon as I started asking questions and learning more about my family’s history, I was hooked. I realized that what attracted me most was the personal connection that I made with history through my ancestors' involvement in events such as the Revolutionary War. How far back have you traced your own family tree? All of my ancestors were here before the American Revolution. I have traced some of my New England lines back to the early 1600s. I also have Huguenot ancestors who came to Virginia in the late 1600s, after the Edict of Nantes. What is a typical day at DAR like for you? It can be pretty unpredictable at times! However, most of my time is divided between administrative duties, such as making sure the workflow is kept moving. This can be a challenge given the number of “papers” we have been receiving. For example, last year we received more than 13,000 new member applications alone. That’s a lot of applications! Do you have a favorite historical place you have visited? I love to travel so I have visited many historical places. One of the most moving places that I visited was the Dachau Concentration Camp. Having read so much about the battles in World War II, being there gave me a completely different take on the war. I had the same experience when I visited Valley Forge. It’s one thing to read about history; it’s quite another to visit historical places.
Do you have a favorite story to share? Most genealogists enjoy visiting cemeteries, which some non-genealogists might find disturbing. Over the years I have visited several that were not easy to find or reach. However, I think one of the most memorable visits was a small, very old cemetery in rural Indiana. I had been there before when I was much younger. This particular time, I went back with a camera to photograph some of the stones that I knew were in bad shape. While there, a bull found its way into the cemetery and apparently did not like that I was there. I managed to shoo him away—I was more worried about him damaging the stones. Do you have a special tip or trick to share with members? One of my favorite resources is Google Books. There is so much information there that genealogists might otherwise miss. I once found a court case in Texas for a family that lived in Kentucky. I never would have thought to look in Texas for any information on this family. Another resource similar to Google Books is www.hathitrust.org —several large research universities that have come together to digitize some of their holdings. Is there anything else you would like to share with our members? The emphasis on increasing membership is definitely having an effect. We are receiving an ever-increasing number of applications and supplementals. We appreciate your patience as we work to review them in as timely a manner as possible. The more complete the submissions are, the more quickly we can review and verify them. It is always a good idea to have the applicant review her application before it is submitted. |
| What is Your DAR Passion? |
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What is your DAR passion? Some members research supplemental after supplemental, others visit veterans at VA medical centers. Still others volunteer to teach literacy or attend naturalization ceremonies. Whatever your passion may be, a gift to the National Society will ensure that present and future members can continue our mission to promote Historic Preservation, Education and Patriotism. Contact the Office of Development at (800) 449-1776 or [email protected] to tell us what your passion is and how we can best help you support it! |
| New Founders Club Members | ||
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From November 18, 2011 to May 25, 2012 |
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The NSDAR is proud to welcome the following as new members of our legacy society, the Founders Club. These generous Daughters, by including the NSDAR in their will or other estate plans, have become part of a visionary group of people dedicated to sustaining the mission of our founders. Due to space constraints, each issue of the Heritage Club newsletter will present a list only of new members.
Sally Alshouse, FL |
| New Heritage Club Members | ||||||||||
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From November 18, 2011 to May 25, 2012 |
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The National Society is proud to welcome new members to the Heritage Club. Due to space constraints, each issue of the Heritage Club Newsletter will carry a listing only of new members accepted and any members upgraded since the previous issue.
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