Olde Towne Fenton DAR Presents Good Citizen Awards and Honors Vietnam Veterans

Fenton, Missouri –  

            An awards presentation and commemorative event was recently hosted by the Olde Towne Fenton (OTF) Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). 

            Being recognized for their qualities of dependability (which includes truthfulness, loyalty, and punctuality); service (which includes cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others); leadership (which includes personality, self control, and ability to assume responsibility); and patriotism (which includes unselfish interest in family, school, community and nation) were seniors Dominic Becker (Vianney High School), Allison Gacioch (Rockwood Summit High School), and Ryan Cahalane (Valley Park High School).  

            The DAR Good Citizens program and scholarship contest is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship outlined above.  The program is open to all senior class students enrolled in an accredited public or private secondary school that is in good standing with their State Board of Education.  The Olde Towne Fenton Chapter, NSDAR, awards each student chosen as their school’s DAR Good Citizen with a certificate of distinction, a gift certificate, a DAR Good Citizen pin, and a wallet recognition card. 

            The winners of the DAR Good Citizen Award are also eligible to compete in a scholarship contest. Both Allison and Ryan competed in the two-part scholarship contest, which contains an essay portion, and were granted a $500 and a $250 scholarship respectively, for first and second place by the OTF Chapter.   DAR Good Citizens who enter the scholarship contest are eligible for awards beyond the chapter level, and his or her essay may be advanced to the state and national levels of competition.  Allison’s essay is beingsubmitted for DAR state-level judging, which if chosen as the winning essay on the state level will go on to compete nationally.

            The OTF Chapter also paid tribute to Vietnam War veterans at this event, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.  Honored were William Grote and Roger Niswonger, who served in the United States Navy; Michael Zimmer and Ken Trask, who served in the United States Army; David Kanevsky, who served in the United States Air Force; and Richard Bentley, from the United States Marines and a recipient of the Purple Heart.  Nora Zimmer, DAR State Chairman of Commemorative Events, shared that the goal of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration History & Education effort is to provide the American public with historically accurate materials and interactive experiences that will help Americans better understand and appreciate the service of our Vietnam War veterans and the history of the Vietnam War.  The veterans were presented with a Certificate of Merit for his outstanding service during the Vietnam War.  Each veteran accepted the certificates from the DAR Good Citizens, thus allowing the students to participate in this portion of the program, displaying their sense of patriotism in a unique and meaningful way.  

            Susan Hauf and Janice DeWeese co-chair the OTF Chapter, NSDAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Committee, and it is their wish that the program will continue to grow each year.  If you are an educator and would like additional information about the 2015 DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship program, please contact the local DAR chapter at otfchap.mssdar@gmail.com or visit http://www.DAR.org.  If you are a parent or student, please contact your school guidance counselor or principal for information.

            For additional information on the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration History & Education effort, please visit www.vietnamwar50th.com/education.

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The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 165,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit http://www.DAR.org.