|
The Peter Minuit Chapter was founded in 1969 in New York
City. Our Organizing Regent, Vivien Vecchiarelli, and the other Charter
Members worked closely with then-State Regent Adele Erb Sullivan to form
a chapter that would meet after the work day to accommodate working women.
We continue this tradition today, meeting regularly at sites of historic
significance around New York City. Meeting activities are focused on the
three objectives of the NSDAR: Historic
Preservation, Promotion of Education, and Patriotic Endeavor. Peter Minuit
Chapter is known nationally for the enthusiasm and variety of its membership.
We often invite speakers to our meetings to deepen our knowledge of American
history and heritage and the
work of our National Society. Recently, we've enjoyed a lecture from
the education director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum
of the American Indian, a stimulating discussion on current adoption issues,
and a visit from the NSDAR National Chairman of Junior Membership.
Our activities also include fundraising for the many charitable projects
of the DAR. The National Society supports two schools in the Appalachian
region, Tamassee DAR School in
South Carolina and Kate Duncan
Smith DAR School in Alabama. Last year, DAR chapters raised nearly
one million dollars to support these and other accredited schools, including
Crossnore School in North Carolina,
which offers a stable, healing environment in a residential group setting
for children from families in crisis; Hillside
School in Massachusetts, an independent boarding and day school for
about 80 boys from varied backgrounds who are underachievers or who have
been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder; and Hindman Settlement
School in Kentucky, which specializes in educating students with dyslexia.
Similarly,
the National Society assists in the education of Indian youth through
scholarships and support of Bacone College, Alabama, and Chemawa Indian
School in Oregon.
Locally, Peter Minuit Chapter sponsors applicants for the DAR
scholarships, and we are proud to have sponsored two recent winners.
DAR membership offers us a unique chance to hone our leadership skills,
and each year our members are encouraged to attend the New York State
DAR Conference as well as the DAR's national gathering, Continental Congress,
in Washington, D.C.
Our application workshops allow current members to work on their own family
research, but, just as importantly, the workshops enable us to help prospective
members explore their family trees and complete their application
papers.
Interested
in knowing who our patriot ancestors are? We have a patriot
roster online - let us know if you think you're related to one of
us!
|
