What is a Junior?

A Junior is a DAR member age 18 through 35 years of age (until her 36th birthday) who holds full DAR membership with the same responsibilities and privileges as a regular member, but is eligible to page at national, state, or chapter events. She may page at the Colorado State Conference as long as she would like and Continental Congress until her 41st birthday. When qualified, she may serve as an officer and chairman at the chapter, state, and national levels.

Many Juniors join with their mothers, grandmothers and aunts. The Colorado State Society supports the Junior Members tremendously by encouraging active membership, understanding family and time constraints, and mentoring college students, career women, or stay-at-home moms.  Juniors join DAR for a variety of reasons and have diverse interests; however, working together for a common goal forges many friendships and offers endless opportunities for personal and professional growth inside and outside of DAR.  The future of DAR is relying on the Juniors of today!

Colorado State Outstanding Juniors

The Outstanding Junior Member Contest began in 1963 to recognize Junior members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Honoring young women who have truly promoted the aims and purposes of the National Society, as well as participated in community activities, the contest encourages all Junior members to be vitally interested and involved in DAR programs and projects.

Every year since 1968, Colorado State Society has recognized an Outstanding Junior Member who makes a significant contribution to historical, educational and patriotic objectives of DAR and who is involved in her community.  She is chosen by her chapter and competes at the state level and the contest is then conducted on a national level.

Colorado recognizes their State Winner at the Awards Luncheon during State Conference with a certificate of award, a State Outstanding Junior pin, an Outstanding Junior Page Sash and funds for the Outstanding Junior to attend Continental Congress and/or place an ad in the DAR American Spirit Magazine/Daughters Newsletter.

Colorado Junior Shoppe

The Junior Shoppe is managed by the Junior Sales Vice-Chairman. Merchandise sales at the Colorado State Conference, State Board of Management Meetings, and chapter events (by invitation) are the primary way that funds are raised for the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund. Profits raised by the Juniors support the Kate Duncan Smith DAR School and Tamassee DAR School as well as Berry College, Crossnore School and Children’s Home, Hillside School, and Hindman Settlement School.  The Helen Pouch Memorial Fund also supports the Junior Membership Classroom Grant Program, which awards 2 $500 grants in each state and the District of Columbia to classroom teachers for grades K-12. Since 1993, the Colorado Juniors have raised over $20,000.00 for the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund.

The sales of nationally approved Junior products enable our committee to meet our financial commitment to our schools. The National Vice Chairman – Junior Sales is responsible for product selection and product shipment to the state Junior Membership chairmen throughout the year.

The President General and the Executive Committee have approved all official Junior sales products. Nationally approved Junior products include patriotic jewelry, DAR notepaper, notebooks, HODAR pins (Husband of DAR), patriotic ties, shoe bags, garment bags, and other DAR related items and clothing.

Colorado Juniors Giving Service

Our Colorado Juniors collaborated with the Volunteers of America organization. Our Juniors, in 2004, officially adopted a room at the Brandon Center in Denver, which is an emergency shelter for women and children affected by homelessness or domestic violence. The goals of the center are to assist the women in working through their current crisis, provide the necessary support and encouragement for the women to develop short and long-term plans, and assist the women in attaining self-sufficiency by providing support services.

The Juniors and “Juniors at Heart” helped redecorate and provide a warm and loving touch to the rooms, and supply much needed items such as pictures, plant hangers, lamps, corkboards, bedding, and mirrors. For our adopt-a-room, the Colorado Juniors have decided to pick a theme of patriotism for the room.  On our last visit, a few of the Colorado Juniors and supporters painted the room.

Since 2010, Colorado Juniors and Juniors-at-Heart gathered for an annual lunch at a centrally located restaurant to fill plastic shoe boxes for the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child as our service project. Everyone brought school supplies, small toys, and hygiene items for under privileged children. Nearly thirty shoe boxes were filled to overflowing with the generous donations of the Daughters.

The ladies in attendance enjoyed socializing, the great food, and the giving service to our community. All facets of being a Junior were discussed, including the encouraging of fellow chapter Juniors to be active in any and all levels of DAR.

Supporting the newest Juniors

The Suzanne Golden Memorial Fund was established in 2009 to benefit first year Juniors attending the Colorado State Conference to page. The fund will pay 100% of the Junior and Page Clubs breakfast cost for those first year Juniors.

The fund was named after Colorado Honorary State Regent Suzanne Golden who served her chapter, the state society and the national society for many years. She was the 1977 Colorado State Outstanding Junior.

And Colorado Juniors…

Wrote, produced and starred in a DAR program titled, “Once upon 100 Years Ago”
Written in 1995, this program is still available on the National DAR program list
Traveled over 200,000 miles to attend DAR functions in the last 20 years
Frequently get-together socially outside of DAR just because we all become friends