It was Awards Day (Feb. 5) at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee by the Pilot Rock Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.
At the Opening Ceremonies, the Processional was the Pilot Rock Chapter Members coming to the front. We all said the Pledge of Allegiance followed by singing our National Anthem led by Elaine Leavitt.
It was time for the D.A.R. Opening Ritual. The Objects of our National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution are to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence, to promote and enlighten public opinion and to foster true patriotism and love of country.
Chaplain said, “Keep that which is committed to Thy trust”, found in 1 Timothy 6:20. Members responded with, “Yea, I have a goodly heritage” from Psalm 16:6. The Chaplain went on to say, “Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord Thy God has led thee,” found in Deuteronomy 8:2. Members responded with, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” from Psalm 33:12. The Chaplain led us in prayer with members saying, “Amen.”
Regent, Peggy Corrington, welcomed those in attendance and then it was time for the presentation of Awards.
N.S.D.A.R. Community Service awarded two groups. The Cherokee Rotary Club received their award given by Lynette Hyndman. They told about the foods available and their back pack program. They showed the back packs as well as telling what was in each one.
The MMC Community Ministries Food Pantry was given their award by Peggy Corrington. Two of the board members, Sarah Wilcox and Donna Bird were present to receive the award. Sarah told how the Community Ministry was formed to work as a food pantry to help meet the needs of families in the communities of Marcus, Meriden, and Cleghorn. It started November 1, 2008 and is located in the Senior Center. She spoke on the times it is available and the foods available. The back pack program they had at first had fourth graders coming to a Grace United Methodist Church Sunday School room to pack the back packs with foods brought there by the Food Pantry. Later on, board members of the Food Pantry volunteered time to pack the back packs. With the price of foods going in these back packs going up, the Food Pantry finally had to say they couldn’t afford the 45+ packs each week. Then after the first of this year, Siouxland Food Bank brings up the packs already packed to the school. She stressed that the Food Pantry is there to help anyone.
The Pilot Rock Chapter Historical Preservation Award was given to the Brummer Legacy Foundation by Linda Craig. Micki Conley gave the Pilot Rock Chapter Conservation Award to Mark and Barb Radke. Peggy Corrington gave the Pilot Rock Chapter Media Award to Cindy Hanner, Chronicle Times.
Elaine Leavitt and Renea Ogren presented the NSDAR Good Citizen Awards to Steven Colerick from Alta-Aurelia; Jake Breyfogle from Ridgeview; Halle Laurson from Sioux Central and Kaden Neddermeyer from MMCRU. (Jesse Brewer from River Valley was not present.) They each received a packet in addition to their award.
Kaden Neddermeyer received the honor to read his entry that gave him his award.
In closing, those in attendance stood and recited the American’s Creed by William Tyler Page. I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign nation of many sovereign states; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.
Elaine Leavitt, Chaplain closed with the Benediction.
Kaden Neddermeyer’s winning paper is as follows: Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility for Preserving It
How will the essential actions of a good citizen (dependability, service, leadership, patriotism) meet the challenges that America faces in this decade?
Since the 1980’s the United States has been faced with a problem that couldn’t have been imagined a century prior. For the first time in history, human activity has been able to cause changes to the Earth’s climate and atmosphere at a rapid pace as a result of increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Although this is a global problem it is our responsibility as Americans to do our part. Small changes in our climate may seem insignificant, but the effects that they can have on our environment and way of life can be devastating. It is important for Americans to combat climate change in order to prevent drastic change that will alter the beautiful habitats and landscapes of the country.
One of the first things that comes to mind when considering the U.S. is its massive size, habit diversity, and beauty. This diversity ranges from the snowy tundras in Alaska, deserts of the southwest, Everglades of Florida, and the rolling prairies of the midwest. Not only are these locations beautiful, but they have been crucial to the survival of earlier groups. For settlers and natives of the Americas, the diverse landscapes shaped everyday life. In the northeast the vast forests supplied wood for canoes to fish the many rivers as well as the construction of long houses. The midwest’s open plains led to a nomadic lifestyle in which natives would hunt the traveling herds of bison grazing the region. Unique conditions in the southeast created different lifestyles as well, with natives and Spanish settlers alike creating houses from clay different from any other region of the Americas. For the puritans arriving in the 1600’s the help of natives and crops indigenous is the reason British colonies flourished. With all that the country’s beautiful landscapes have done for us, it’s our duty to return the favor. Climate change will permanently affect these habitats, and in some cases completely alter them. By maintaining them as they were, it helps us remember the historical impact these lands have had in shaping our country, as well as preserving their beauty for generations to see as well.
The change needed to accomplish these goals requires the characteristics of a good citizen. We need dependable citizens, as part of this goal requires personal responsibility to make small changes in one’s life to make progress. In order to get this done there must be leaders willing to start talking about climate change to get others on board as well as draw attention to climate change on a national scale so that federal action can be taken. These actions are a great show of service to our community and country’s future generations so they can maintain our way of life and the geography that embodies our country. This action is one of the best forms of patriotism, as it isn’t simply blind support for the country as it currently stands. It is an ability to pick out what we must improve in our country in order to keep the parts of our culture we need to value, such as our natural beauty and subsequent tradition as a result. We are responsible for maintaining our climate in order to keep the landscapes that created our heritage and culture of today.
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