The Texas Society, National Daughters of the American Revolution (TXDAR), held their 125th annual state conference in Austin in March.  Bentwater members attending were Regent Kay Pontious, Vice Regent Jan Cook, and members Barb Thomas and Donna Kent. 

 

Coushatti Trace Chapter was thrilled to receive eight state-level awards at the conference, presented by Texas State Regent Marcy Carter-Lovick.  The theme of this year’s conference was “Thank You, Texas Daughters, for Sparking in Service."  While the membership of the Coushatti Trace Chapter includes members beyond the gates of Bentwater, many of these awards were made possible by women in our neighborhood who share their gifts of service to the community. 

 

The chapter’s nominee for the DAR Americanism Medal, Dr. Marlen Tejeda, was recognized as the state winner during the National Defense Evening Banquet, the highlight of the conference. Prospective member Joan Martin, Regent Kay Pontious, and Vice Regent Jan Cook combined their efforts to write the nomination and provide supporting documentation for the award. 

 

The chapter was awarded first place certificates for “Excellence in Supporting Community Classrooms” and  “Literacy Promotion Contest” due to efforts of the chapter in providing many services to local schools, libraries, and Head Start programs with monthly book readings, special Constitution Week skits to explain the formation and reason for the Constitution, and book donations, including a joint effort with the Conroe Rotary club to give each child in first grade at Sam Houston Elementary School a personalized “I Like Me” book at the end of the school year.  Bentwater resident Cathy Alexander was awarded the state second place individual for her Literary Trailblazer program, a monthly reading program to second graders with books and props provided to the volunteer readers, including Bentwater Residents Barb Thomas, Meg O’Donnell, Kay Pontious, Ginger Darnell, and Liz Carter. 

 

Our own Carolyn Worsham was awarded the first place certificate for Conservation.  Other state awards given to the chapter were for  “Outstanding Recruitment and Member Engagement in 2023” and “Outstanding Community Outreach” by the chapter based on our presence, participation, and distribution of U.S. flags at community events all through the year.