Chapter Activities and Projects
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Our activities and projects support the NSDAR mission to support
historical preservation, education, and patriotism.
Last update: July 10, 2024
Book Club
We meet at Aldo's for 10:30am book discussion and 11:30am no host lunch. Please join us even if you haven't read the book! Several of our upcoming Book Club meetings are "Fifth Monday" events. Monday, June 10, 2024: "The Women" by Kristin Hannah; Monday, August 12, 2024: "By Her Own Design" by Piper Huguley; Monday, September 30, 2024: "The Last Train to Key West" by Chanel Cleeton.
A program about bees and St. Patrick's Day at our March meeting
March 18, 2024
We made Valentines to give to the residents of The Terraces
February 12, 2024
Lots of love and creativity!
Los Gatos Children's Holiday Parade
December 2, 2023
Beautiful weather and sidewalks filled with cheering families created a fun event for 12 members of our chapter (plus one daughter).
San Jose Veteran's Day Parade
November 11, 2023
Along the parade route, we looked for Veterans and gave them a thank you postcard written by CT English Middle School 8th graders; we gave small American flags to children. Our decorated truck included posters showing our support for Honor Flight, Wreaths Across America, and America 250.
Veteran's Day Ceremony at RJ Fisher Middle School
November 8, 2023
Our first time to participate in this event. We passed out programs, thank you postcards with American flag pins, and flags. We facilitated the attendance of the Los Gatos Mayor and her presentation of a letter to honor the event. After the ceremony, each of the 350 8th graders wrote a postcard to a veteran and we will deliver them in small batches to the Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto.
Book Club
We meet at Aldo's for 10:30am book discussion and 11:30am no host lunch. Please join us even if you haven't read the book! Our upcoming Book Club meetings are "Fifth Monday" events. Monday October 30: "Palisades Park" by Alan Brennert; Monday, January 29, 2024 "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows. Monday, March 25, 2024 "Tea Chest" by Heidi Chiavaroli. Monday, April 29, 2024 "An American Beauty" by Shana Abé.
Previous Book Club Books 2023
Looking for a recommendation? Below are other books that we read and discussed in 2023.
Honor Flight at SFO
October 21, 2023
Welcoming home our Vets at SFO after their Honor Flight trip to Washington DC.
Day of Service: Fleece Blankets for Vets
October 14, 2023
Creating a large donation of cozy blankets as our "Day of Service" Project.
4th of July at Oak Meadow Park, Los Gatos
July 4, 2023
Young people visited our booth during the event and experienced writing with a quill pen and wrote cards to Veterans.
Ice Cream Social
June 25, 2023
We enjoyed ice cream sundaes, conversation, and took turns sharing the family treasures that we had brought.
1776 The Musical
May 21, 2023
Members enjoyed an energetic updated matinee performance at Broadway San Jose.
Earth Day Project
April 27, 2023
Our chapter cut and saved blue and green paper for the Earth Day Collage Project led by our Community Classroom Committee. 60 First Graders at Loma Prieta Elementary School enjoyed learning about our earth's continents and oceans as they created their art. Our project was displayed at their Open House.
Valentines for Veterans
February 14, 2023
461 Valentines were delivered to the Palo Alto VA for the Veterans for "Salute to Hospitalized Veterans" and Valentine's day for their meal trays.
District VI Meeting
Saturday, February 4, 2023
Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE)
Saturday, January 28, 2023
The exhibit is intended to bring our community and veterans together with education, stories, and interactive connections.
Hope's Closet for Santa Cruz Flood Victims
Sunday, January 31, 2023
Gifts to a Moffett Field family
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Wrapped gifts for a special family from our chapter's TMC Committee.
Wreaths Across America
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Laying wreaths on the graves and "saying their names" at Madronia Cemetery, Saratoga.
Tea for Toys
Saturday, December 10, 2022
A potluck tea and toy collection was a fun way to benefit the Pediatric/ Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Valley Medical Center. Tables were decorated and hosted by members.
Los Gatos Children's Holiday Parade
December 3, 2022
We raised our community's awareness of our chapter, "Wreaths Across America," and our local causes in the parade. It was a drizzly and fun day!
San Jose Veterans Day Parade
November 11, 2022
We distributed over 100 flags and gave personal thank yous to Veterans along the parade route.
Book Club "The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post."
October 31, 2022
We gathered at a local restaurant for a discussion of the book (which we loved!), Post Grape Nut Cereal muffins, and lunch afterwards. Our discussion was enriched when a member shared an album of photos of her grandmother who attended Mt. Vernon Seminary and Convent in Washington DC at about the same time as Marjorie Post.
Los Gatos Chapter, NSDAR Meeting, October 10, 2022
We commemorated the 330th Anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials. Our guest speaker presented a program titled, "A Year in Salem: The Witchcraft Trial of 1692." A "Best Witch Costume Contest" was held. October fun!
Day of Service, October 8
Members gathered to tie 50+ fleece blankets for donation to the American Legion of Los Altos.
Commodore Sloat 100th Anniversary
Suggested attire was 1920's Flapper Style! Below is our regent.
Highlights from Northern Council
We collected $620 of coins to donate to the Penny Pines Project. This is our parade entry honoring veterans.
Bell Ringing on Constitution Day, September 17
Constitution Week Display in Almaden Library
We distributed Constitution materials to 10 libraries and 17 schools. Below is the display at the Almaden Library.
Our "haul" to support HomeFirst's Pad Parade
Sunday, September 25
At our September meeting, we collected feminine products to be distributed to unhoused women in the South Bay area through HomeFirst. Below are photos of our chapter's donation.
Our regent and two members of the Santa Cruz Chapter, NSDAR, are honored by the principal for their donations and work in the library.
Bell Ringing Honoring our Fallen Heroes and First Responders
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Ten daughters assembled under an American flag and rang bells at the times that the hijacked planes crashed on American soil. The mayor of Saratoga participated in the event and presented our regent with a Proclamation of the City Council of the City of Saratoga recognizing "The Twenty-First Anniversary of the Terrorist Acts of September 11, 2001."
Three Books donated to the CSSDAR Library Collection
The CSSDAR Library collection is located in the Fresno County Library along with the collections of the Fresno County Genealogy Society and the Fresno County Library. Each year, the California State Librarian publishes a wishlist of books, and we are pleased to support this growing collection of resources. Massachusetts vital records, Barbour collection, Pennsylvania Archives Series, North Carolina Archives Series, A B Pruitt North Carolina entry Land collection, New Jersey Archives, and many Sources of Service are just a few of the more than 30,000 valuable resources found in the Heritage Center.
Our $125 budget for this donation was used to donate the following books:
North Carolina Headrights: A List of Names, 1663-1744 ($26.50)
Looking Back Abstracts from Carthaginian Leake Co MS ($35.50)
North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History ($63.00)
A Walk in the Henry Cowell Redwood Grove
Members and their spouses enjoyed a 0.8 mile loop trail in the historic grove on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
"Happy 4th of July!" 2022 in Oak Meadow Park and Saratoga
Members of our chapter passed out flags and provided a booth and materials for youth to write and color messages of gratitude to Veterans.
Trailblazing Women of the Greater Bay Area
A fun and educational social held in a member's backyard on June 25, 2022.
Vallejo Historical Marker Dedication
A past regent of Los Gatos Chapter, NSDAR, and Susan Broderick, Past State Regent, attended the ceremony held in Monterey on June 12, 2022.
Los Gatos Chapter, NSDAR, Officers 2022-2023
Installed at our May 31, 2022 meeting.
End-of-Year Potluck, Installation of Officers, and Memorial Service
We gathered at the Gateway Pavilion at Vasona Park for a delicious lunch and business meeting.
Participating in the Memorial Day Ceremony and placing the Wreath at La Madrona Cemetery in Saratoga.
April meeting at La Rinconada Country Club
Chapter member presenting her Patriot who was actually named John Doe!
2022 Donation Totals to date:
Literacy Report: Books- 2,204 (782 to Little Free Libraries and 952 to Vets, etc.), Magazines- 139, Calendars- 29, DVDs- 28, Cards to Vets- 457 (Valentines, St Patrick's, Vietnam Memorial, and Veteran birthdays) ( total as of 04/05/2022)
Socks for Veterans (goal of 500 pairs by June 2022): 336 pairs (as of 03/07/2022)
Wreaths Across America: TBA
Food for House of Hope: Five large donations of goods have been dropped off to my home and delivered to House of Hope (see photos below)
JROTC Recognition
Our chapter supports the JROTC Programs at Del Mar and Branham High School. This year, a cadet from each school received a certificate, challenge coin, and cash award will be presented to two students on Monday, May 16.
(Stay tuned for the image of the coin HERE)
House of Hope Donations May 12
The volunteers were thrilled to receive the three bags of food and 100 grocery bags (paper and plastic). The staff shared that they almost ran out of grocery bags last week--so the bags went directly to restock their supply. We also delivered our donation of 100 "4th of July" Goodie Bags that will be distributed in June. The Loma Prieta Elementary School Student Council stuffed the bags as a Community Service project.
HeART Project
We donated nine sets of crayons, colored pencils, spiral notebooks, and composition books to add to heART bags for delivery on April 22 to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to give to foster youth.
Community Classroom Committee (CCC) supports Earth Day at Loma Prieta Elementary School
April 20 was a fun day of connection and support as our CCC Chair delivered our six Earth Day books, snacks for teachers and staff, and helped Mrs. Templeton's first grade class create Earth collages using blue and green paper that had been removed and "upcycled" to make this project possible. Our Earth collages support the first grade Common Core Standard "Our Place in the World."
Below are photos from this year's State Conference in Irvine.
Earth Day Books for Loma Prieta Elementary School
The Community Classroom Committee approved the donation of these pictures books for teachers to read to their students during the week preceding Earth Day on April 22, 2022.
House of Hope Donations
Please go to the Projects page in our Members Only site to view the Food Bank wishlist. Two deliveries of food, bags, and personal items were made in March 2022.
Cards for Viet Nam Vets
Our chapter sent 127 "Thank you for your service" cards to the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, for the Vietnam War Remembrance Event March 27-28, 2022
February 2022 Book Club "The Personal Librarian"
Our chapter Book Club discussion was held in person on the morning of February 28 and via Zoom that evening.
American History Award Winners
We enjoyed hearing four students read their winning essays (selected from 40+ entries) at our February 9, 2022, Zoom meeting. It was a pleasure to have their parents join us! We delivered bags with the students' awards to the school. We were so impressed by these young citizens and their writing skills!
500 socks by June!
We collected packages of new/unused men's and women's socks to donate to our active service persons and veterans.
First Literacy Donations for the year- January 2022
105 books, eight calendars, 46 magazines. Great start for 2022!
Workbooks donated to Greater Victory Temple, Salinas after school Literacy student program.
Move For Minds Results- December 31, 2021
Literacy Projects- Books for Veterans, Schools, Little Free Libraries, Active Service requests
This ongoing project collects, curates, and delivers donations of books to the organizations who need them.
2021 Literacy Report - We donated 3730 books to 18 different organizations/places. One organization was Little Free Libraries to which we donated to 17 different libraries in Campbell, Sunnyvale, Watsonville and Modesto - total for LTF donations - 731 books. Total to Palo Alto Vets was only 473 as they were not accepting books for part of the year. Los Gatos Friends of the Library - 494; Saratoga Book Go Round - 514.
Wreaths Across America Day- December 18, 2021
National Wreaths Across America Day is an event in December dedicated to remembering the sacrifices veterans have made in wars since the American Revolution. Members of our Chapter made donations to sponsor wreaths and some members participated in the wreath placing ceremony at Madronia Cemetery in Saratoga. Next year's ceremony will be held on December 17, 2022. Click HERE for more information.
Toys for Tots- December 8, 2021
The Los Gatos Chapter, NSDAR, had 24 members, one community member, and one C.A.R. member donate toys for our 2021 drive. The total number of toys delivered to the Marine Corps facility in San Jose was 128. Click HERE for more information.
Holiday Cards for Veterans- December 8, 2021
Members wrote encouraging messages on cards during our December Holiday Party. Copies of the card pictured were delivered to the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital. Other cards were sent to the Army Signal Corps Unit stationed in Iraq.
Holiday Party- December 8, 2021
A festive gathering with lovely piano music, conversation, and some fun holiday games.
"Antiques Roadshow" at our Holiday Party- December 8, 2021
Members brought an antique to share before and during our luncheon.
Veterans Day Parade, San Jose- November 11, 2021
The flag is a symbol of our country, and we feel great pride when we can promote the flag and see it used correctly. Members pass out hundreds of flags each year at the San Jose Veterans Day Parade.
Cards for Veterans- November 2021
Our members wrote messages of gratitude on the back of these cards. They were delivered to the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital.
Tomb of the Unknown 100th Anniversary- November 10, 2021
Thank you to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Committee for a moving and educational program at our November meeting. Taps was played, and we learned the history of the monument on the 100th anniversary of its founding. We honored the veterans in our lives with a 21 white rose salute.
Day of Service- October 9, 2021
A hike was organizwed under the redwood trees and collection of items for the Humane Society Silicon Valley.
Click HERE for more information.
"Influential American Women" Costumed Potluck- October 17, 2021
A fun and educational event! Canned goods were collected to donate to the House of Hope in Los Gatos.
Ringing Bells for Constitution Week- September 15, 2021
Happy to have our first in-person meeting outdoors. We rang all kinds of bells!
Collecting Supplies for Women in Need- September 15, 2021
Items will be delivered to HomeFirst Services for distribution to homeless women and teens in our community.
Mark Bingham 9/11 Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony- September 11, 2021
Honoring a local hero at Madronia Cemetery.
Genealogy Workshop- July 2021
One of our chapter genealogy experts showed us how to expand our search to find more patriots and ancestors.
Chapter Book Club
Below is a sampling of the books we have read and discussed.
Earth Day Collaboration- April 2021
Members of our chapter and Mrs. Dorn's 2nd grade class at Loma Prieta Elementary created "Earth Art" inspired by artist Andy Goldsworthy. Below is a link to the video that celebrates the beauty of our earth and an opportunity to express our creative spirit. This project supports the Project Cornerstone Asset "Community Values Youth." Click on the image for a link to the short video.
HeART Bags- April 23, 2021
Our chapter supported the “heART Project” that was announced by the CSSDAR Community Classroom Co-Chairs at the 2021 State Conference. We learned that the heART kits would be a cherished gift for a child in foster care and could provide an opportunity for quiet reflection and creativity in children ages 5-13. Chapter members made generous donations of felt pens, colored pencils, water colors, brushes, sketch pads, bead kits, glue, and other art supplies. A United States flag was added to each bag along with the age appropriate flag learning art project that was provided by the State CCC Co-Chairs. Our chapter Community Classroom Committee Chair delivered 20 bags full of art supplies to the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for children of San Mateo County in Redwood City. The CASA Director was very pleased with the donations!
DAR Service for Veterans
Los Gatos Chapter, NSDAR, is a strong supporter of the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center in Palo Alto. Some of the things we do to help are to provide handmade lap robes, quilts, party favors for the Christmas trays, Christmas cards, calendars, and paperback books. We have a dedicated member who continues to look for new ways in which we can lend a hand to our veteran patients.
Scholarships
Those needing information on scholarships that the DAR offers, please visit the NSDAR Scholarships webpage. All applicants will need to have a letter of sponsorship from a local chapter. Please feel free to contact us.
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
California State Society Daughters of the American Revolution