September is a busy month for the Point Vicente Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution! First, they were delighted to meet the new Executive Director of the Peninsula Friends of the Library, Merlin David. The Chapter presented its yearly donation of history books to Merlin and staff including Seven Virginians: The Men Who Shaped Our Republic by John Boles; The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West, by Chris Wimmer; And There Was Light : Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham; Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper; The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe by Kevin Gutzman and Madison's Militia: The Hidden History of the Second Amendment by Carl T. Bogus.

Next, the National organization has opened its annual American History Essay Contests to all interested students (grades 6-12) by offering an electronic submission form. These contests are open to students in public, private, and parochial schools, and registered home-study programs. Essays from students from all grades will be judged together, with one winning essay chosen at each level. Participating DAR Chapters will select one essay from each contest as the chapter winner, to be sent on to the State level; the State will select one essay winner to represent the state for judging at the Division level, and each Division level will also have one winner which will be sent on to the National contest. Each student participant receives a certificate of participation from the chapter and the chapter winners receive a bronze medal and certificate set. State winners receive a silver medal and certificate set. Division level winners receive certificates and a book. National winners receive special certificates, medals, and a monetary award. See the flyer on the library bulletin board for submission details.

Finally, the Chapter will be setting up their yearly Constitution Week display mid-month and it will remain in the young readers window display through the 25th. Constitution Week is celebrated annually during the week of September 17-23 to commemorate the United States Constitution and stand in observance of its history and importance and bring attention to how it serves still today. The Constitution, America’s most important document, stands as a testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties, freedoms and inalienable rights. This annual celebratory week was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1955 and later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The aims of the Constitution Week celebration are to: 

Emphasize citizens' responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution. 
Inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America's great heritage and the foundation for our way of life. 
Encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.

Constitution Week is a great time to learn more about this important document and celebrate the freedoms it gave us. Get involved by encouraging young people to sign the Constitution Week Proclamation Pledge and ask your local community officials to issue a proclamation about the Constitution. See https://www.dar.org/nationalsociety/education/constitution-week for the Pledge and sample proclamations. The Chapter looks forward to working with Friends of the Library in the future!