For Immediate Release
- Press Contact:
- Bren Landon
- [email protected]
- (202) 572-0563
WASHINGTON, DC – Following the tragic collision in June of the USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship off the coast of Japan resulting in the loss of 7 crew members, numerous others injured and severe damage to the ship, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has made a $20,000 donation to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to help support the crew of the Fitzgerald and their families.
“Our hearts go out to the crew and families of the USS Fitzgerald,” said DAR President General Ann Dillon. “We want all those associated with the Fitzgerald to know that DAR members near and far are here to support them during this difficult time as they work to rebuild and cope after this tragedy.”
The donation was announced during the National Defense Night Ceremony of the DAR’s annual convention, the 126th Continental Congress, on July 1. The ceremony is dedicated to honoring the nation’s military personnel and veterans and the keynote speaker and honoree was General Lori Robinson, USAF, Commander of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), who commended the DAR for the support of the crew.
DAR President General Ann Dillon personally delivered the donation to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society following the Independence Day holiday. She met with Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society President and CEO Admiral Steve Abbot, USN Retired, inquiring about updates on the Fitzgerald crew and the relief efforts underway as well as those planned for the future.
“We are grateful for this generous gift from the DAR. It will have a profoundly positive impact on the men and women serving aboard the USS Fitzgerald, and will ensure the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society can continue to meet the crew’s emergency needs in the coming weeks and months,” said Admiral Steve Abbot, USN Retired, President and CEO, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
The donation was made possible through DAR member support and contributions to the DAR Project Patriot Fund. The DAR Project Patriot Committee is the official Daughters of the American Revolution committee that supports America’s servicemembers and their families.
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Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence. DAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical women’s service organization with more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide who carry out the timeless mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. DAR members contribute more than 400,000 hours of volunteer time in VA hospitals each year and work tirelessly through a number of other programs to support our men and women in the United States Armed Forces. To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.dar.org.
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
Since 1904, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has provided need-based financial assistance and education to active duty and retired members of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, their eligible family members and survivors. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the Society is a non-profit, charitable organization that is staffed by more than 4,000 volunteers, and a small cadre of employees, in offices around the world – ashore and aboard ships. To learn more, visit www.nmcrs.org.