May Newsletter 2020 Terreca Hurley, Regent

The following events are postponed unt il further not ice:

D ear Soph ia Flem ing D augh ter s,

Regret tably, and because of COVID -19, we were unable to hold our custom ar y Awards Presen tat ion dur ing the Apr i l m eet ing; however, ver y n ice p resen tat ion packages were m ai led to w inner s of the Soph ia Flem ing Scholar sh ip and the Am er ican H istor y Essay Con test . T he w inner s were told they and thei r f am i l ies would be inv i ted to a f u ture m eet ing, when possible, to read thei r essays for us.

T he JRO T C Progr am was also af fected because of the v i r us. O ne h igh school i s con tem plat ing a v i r tual p resen tat ion , other s m ay delay p resen tat ions un t i l August and st i l l other s m ay cancel the p rogr am for th is year . W e are ready w i th cer t i f i cates and m edals i f they choose to m ake sum m er p resen tat ions.

Sep tem ber w i l l br ing the next newslet ter . Chapter not ices and in for m at ion between now and then w i l l be shared v ia em ai l .

L ast ly, i t i s hard to bel ieve m y ter m is hal f over . N ot on ly has i t been a f un , ver y busy and reward ing exper ience, i t has been a p leasure to ser ve th is chap ter . I look for ward to the even ts we have in store for next year !

H ave a safe, heal thy and happy sum m er.

W ar m Regards,

Terreca H urley, R egent"Rise and Shine and Squeeze the Day"

Regen t 's M essageCalendar of Even ts

Flag Day Luncheon

15 year Anniversary Luncheon

April 2020Awards

Because of the COVID-19 Virus we were not able to hold our special April Awards Presentation

Meeting. So, we decided to mail presentation packages to:

Winner of t he Sophia Flem ing $1000 Scholarship Cont est - Miss Mia Moore

Winner of t he Am er ican Hist ory Essay Cont est - Miss Avery Craw ford

Second Place Winner of t he Am er ican Hist ory Essay Cont est - Miss Sydney Mar t in

Letters of congratulations were included along with an invitation for them to attend,

when possible, one of our meetings and read their essay to the chapter.

C ommittee R eportsService t o Am er ica Nancy Yacavone

DAR Sews Kindness One Stitch at a Time

The crafty ladies of Orange Park?s Sophia Fleming Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), are stepping up to create homemade masks for health care workers facing shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Led by Service to America Committee Chairman Nancy Yacavone, numerous chapter members, in conjunction with other volunteers, have sewn and delivered over 500 masks to local area and National Military hospitals. These include: Wolfson Children?s Hospital, Baptist, St. Vincent?s and all state Veteran facilit ies ,Quantico and sub base New London along with those now sewing for NAS Jacksonville Hospital.

Along with many volunteers from across the nation, they formed sewing groups and shared patterns they think would best address the needs of medical workers. Using their sewing machines and piles of fabric, they worked to make as many masks as they could to help hospitals in need of more supplies.

Chapter member Lynn Lisenby said, ?Four DAR members and 11 from our community sewed 268 masks in less than a week? and there are more out there working on them.

Lynn added that she would love for this to be a grassroots effort throughout our area, because ?It is such a heart-warming feeling to know that we are helping our vets and their staff who have served, and are currently serving our country, and now need help themselves.?

The Service to America Committee demonstrates the positive volunteer opportunities, such as this community project, associated with DAR membership, which focuses on the promotion of historic preservation, education and/or patriotism.

Anyone interested in volunteering to sew masks are invited to email Lynn Lisenby at Biology1@att.net For those ready to donate masks for distribution, there will be a pick up at the Fleming Island Winn-Dixie parking lot (close to Chick Fil-A) every Friday at 1 p.m., or you can notify Lynn if you need someone to pick them up from your residence.

Sh ar on L Beck Gi l l ey

W om en ?s I ssu es

Wom en are pr im ary caret akers

In addition to women making up the majority of health-care workers in the U.S. and

globally, women are overwhelmingly the primary caretakers in their families. This

means that many women in health care are balancing a demanding work life and

home life, Nielsen says. who currently serves as senior associate dean for health policy

at the University at Buffalo.

Today, more than 75% of caregivers are women, according to Family Caregiver Alliance.

Though men also provide assistance, data shows that women spend as much as 50%

more time caring for a family member than men.

"These women [in health-care professions] also have responsibility to take care of

parents, who are older, and school-aged children," says Nielsen "So their lives are

enormously impacted by worrying about elderly relatives and by school closures."

CNBC.com

Please Cont act : Sharon Gil ley m sslgil ley@bellsout h.net

It won?t be long now before you can order your Insignia from the National DAR Insignia Store. The

Insignia Store will be officially open at the beginning of Continental Congress beginning Tuesday, June 23,

2020. A go-to shop for all your DAR insignia needs, as it will sell not only DAR insignia pins, but also official

DAR magnetic and nonmagnetic ribbons, ribbon cases, and sashes. In addition, it will offer engraving,

exchanges, upgrades and even repair services.

The DAR Insignia St ore w il l be open for online, t elephone and m ail orders

beginning on July 6, 2020, at 8:30 a.m . East ern Tim e.

Visit on-l ine at m em bers.dar .org t hen The DAR Insignia St ore

I nsign ia Cher y l Field

In 1897, the Sixth Continental Congress singled out four women for their work on the creation and establishment of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A resolution was adopted declaring Eugenia Washington, Mary Desha, Ellen Hardin Walworth and Mary Smith Lockwood as Founders of the DAR. A committee was appointed at the same time to design and create four medals intended to commemorate the work of these Founding Daughters.

These first Founders Medals were presented as gifts to the women to enjoy during their lifetimes. Over time, the medals found their way back to DAR Headquarters, and they are now on display in the President General?s Assembly Room.

In honor of these women, the National Board of Management established the National Society?s Founders Medals in 1995 in order to recognize other outstanding American citizens who give unselfishly of themselves to their community, state or nation.

Today, more than any time in recent memory, news outlets are sharing stories of such local volunteers and heroes, highlighting the incredible ways these individuals are helping their communities. DAR members can and should recognize these everyday heroes with Founders Medal awards in the categories of Heroism, and Youth Achievement, Patriotism and Education:

Now is an excellent time to identify, recognize and honor individuals who demonstrate exceptional volunteer service to community and country. Look for the Founders Medal Nomination Form and Checklist (RPG-FM-1000) on the Member?s website.

For more detailed information about the Medals and submitting applications, please contact:

FSSDAR Chairman, Cheryl Field at cheryl.field@att.net or telephone (904) 302-4536;

Vice Chairman, Marsha Braun at mbgeneal@aol.com,

Vice Chairman Van Lee at vanmcmlee@gmail.com

Founder s M edals Cher y l Field

N ational D efense Lynn Ver non

CAMELS IN THE CALVARY?

The U.S. Camel Corps began as a pre-Civil War experiment in using camels as pack animals to build and supply a western wagon route from Texas to California? and called the Texas Camel Experiment. It was introduced because horses and mules were dying in great numbers in the American Southwest due to dehydration and camels had been used by other military forces for years.

The thought to even consider camels started as early as 1836, but languished until 1848. But March of 1855, Congress appropriated $30,00.00 to buy, transport, train and test camels for this new Corps. They bought 33 camels with the money, choosing both males and females and various breeds. And so, it began. The idea was, if the camels fared well, a series of Army posts would be set up across the Southwest U.S. to relay mail and carry much needed supplies and the camels were said to perform ?well beyond expectations.? They packed water for 7-8 days and never took a drop; packed heavy burdens of corn and oats and never got a grain and even got fat on shrubs considered useless for anything else. They didn?t need shoeing, could travel 30-40 miles a day, climb mountain trails and often found hidden water holes.

It was said that most men involved, preferred one indifferent camel to four of their best-known mules. And camels could swim with their entire load if required to, where horses and mules were known to drown. Even Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee, 1860, praised them highly. Yet despite all positive feedback, the Camel Corps ended as the Civil War was beginning.

So, what happened to them? Some were sold and some were just turned loose to fend for themselves in the deserts and plains of our Southwest. One camel known as ?Old Douglas? the Confederate Camel, has a tombstone at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, MS., where he died. Another of the original camels died at age 80, 1934, at Griffith's Park, in Los Angeles. And the last confirmed camel sighting was in 1941. And now you know? ? ? ? ?

Please note, Lynn Vernon has resigned from the National Defense Committee and we thank her for doing a terrific job as chair of this committee!

Your new National Defense Committee Chairperson is: Hannah Gonzalez hannahgonzalez2258@gmail.com

Ser v ice to Veter ans D ebbie Cor son

We ( LynnVernon and myself) had an idea to send cards, hand written notes, etc. to patients at nursing homes, hospice facilit ies, etc. We have found it difficult to get return calls from some of these facilit ies as they too are short-staffed and in crisis mode. Also, due to HIPPA laws, you will not be able to get a list of patients? names, but they may say, ?we have 84 patients today,? etc. You can then mail one large envelope with several individual notes or cards, etc., like we do for the troops at Christmas. ?For a Special Patient? Thinking of you and saying hello. You are not forgotten. On behalf of Sophia Fleming Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. You could get children or grand kids to draw pictures write notes too. Even if you just write a few, the facility can put them on the walls, windows, etc. of community spaces for all to enjoy. Don?t make a special trip to the store to buy cards, just use what you have or make some.

Each person should choose their favorite facility nearest them. Either call and ask to whom you could send the cards: a Program Director, Activities Coordinator, etc. If you don?t get a callback, just mail them to: Patients c/o Program Director and leave a voice mail message to let them know it is coming. You might even send a few thank you notes to the nurses, doctors at your local hospitals. Just let us know, ?this month I sent 20 cards/notes to the following facilit ies.? If we all send 20 cards/notes, that is a LOT. Many hands make litt le work. Don?t forget to add the hours to DAR.org Service to America hours.

Please note: In May, Debbie Courson is relocating to Texas to be closer to family. She will indeed be missed by this chapter! If you have an interest in assisting with or chairing this committee please contact Regent, Terreca Hurley.

D ay T rips & F ield T rips

oh what fun we wil l have........

Lynn L isenby and Ju l ia Sald ivar

Ladies, many of you have finished making masks for family and friends and would

like to make more, but don?t know where to take them. I have a contact at NAS Jax

Hospital, and a person representing all six state veterans nursing homes, such as

Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home, in St. Augustine.

Last Friday two friends and I turned in 60 masks for the state veteran?s nursing

homes. They were all sent to Pembroke (Broward County) where they are

desperately needed. They will let me know if more are needed elsewhere on

Monday. In the meantime, a doctor at NAS Jax said she could use all we can make,

so 3 of us are doing that, too. We could use some help and it is such a

heart-warming feeling to know that we are helping our vets and their staff who

have served our country and now need help themselves.

If you would like to make masks for a good cause, you can drop them off each

Friday, by 12 noon, at either mine or Julia Saldivar?s house and we will get them to

whomever needs them. We have a drop off Friday afternoon every week. Any

type of mask will do.

I have an easy pat t ern using (2) 8? X 8 ½ ? fabr ics and an int ernal l iner

(m icrof iber f rom a sheet ) m ak ing bias t ape-t ype t ies. I also have lot s of

fabr ic if you need som e. All we need is you!!

Julia Saldivar

2637 Count ry Side Dr

Flem ing Island

904278-6755

Lynn Lisenby

1804 Wards Landing Ct .

Flem ing Island

904 278-0010

Com m unit y Needs Pet Food Donat ions

Quigley House in Green Cove and Clothes Closet Pantry of Orange Park need donations of pet food for cats and dogs.

Also, cat litter of any kind will be most appreciated.

Lynn Vernon has volunteered to collect and deliver the donations to these sites.Collection times and places are:

Monday, May 11th at Winn Dixie@10-11AM at the corner near Hwy. 17 and the side street. Not the Kingsley corner.

Tuesday, May12th at Target @10-11AM in the Target lot, across from the side of Gate gas station

(Lynn drives a dark grey Chevy truck with Patriot Guard triangles on the tailgate and can be reached at 904. 269.3233).