DAR special projects grants dedication ceremony held

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, members of the Pack Horse Ford Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) and Berkeley County Historical Society gathered with distinguished guests at the BCHS Archives in Martinsburg to dedicate the Society’s newly purchased digital scanner. The purchase was made possible through a matching grant from the NSDAR.
DAR members participating in the ceremony were Barby Frankenberry, State Regent of the West Virginia Society, and Cheryl Brown, Patricia Toffling and Mary Wood, members of the Pack Horse Ford Chapter. Sam Lake, son of chapter member Ann Lake, led the assembled individuals in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.
Brown explained that the members of the Pack Horse Ford Chapter knew first hand of the need for the equipment and were pleased to sponsor BCHS for the grant. She thanked Katherine Genung, Dorrene Hale and Cheryl Rodgers for their work on the grant application. She added, “We were thrilled when we received word in May that BCHS would receive $5,212 towards the purchase of the equipment.”
Todd Funkhouser, president of the Berkeley County Historical Society, spoke on behalf of BCHS. In accepting the equipment, Funkhouser said, “We are losing the next generation to the Internet, and this will allow us to serve our community from an educational standpoint. It will allow us to serve our local citizens in a much more entailed capacity.”
Berkeley County Council Person Elaine C. Mauck and the Honorable John Overington, Delegate for the 55th District, explained the importance of the new equipment to the Eastern Panhandle. Overington emphasized that using the equipment could help the next generation to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
After the ceremony, refreshments were served at the Belle Boyd House. Pack Horse Ford Chapter members Mary Davis, Patty Stealey and Darla Ambrose organized the reception.
The DAR Special Projects Grants program was begun in 2010. Funding is awarded to support projects in local communities that promote the organization’s mission areas of historic preservation, education and patriotism.
NSDAR receives hundreds of grant applications each year, making competition for the funding through the non-profit organization high. Interested groups must be sponsored by a local DAR chapter, submit a copy of their 501(c)(3) IRS documentation and include a narrative that describes the need and urgency of the project as well as planned activities and benefits to the community that will result from the grant.
For more information about applying for a DAR Special Projects Grant, visit www.dar.org/grants. To learn about joining the Pack Horse Ford Chapter, contact Dorrene Hale at (304) 725-6140 or Cheryl Brown at (304) 876-3817.