What happens when we stop talking about the next generation — and start listening to them? In this special October episode of the DAR Today Podcast, we turn the microphone toward the Children of the American Revolution for Voices of Tomorrow: Liberty’s Legacy. The 2026–2027 N.S.C.A.R. theme, Liberty’s Legacy, invites young people to discover and share the often-overlooked roles children played during the American Revolution. From messengers and drummers to nurses, helpers, and other young participants, their stories remind us that children were not simply watching history happen — they were part of it. DAR Today connects those young voices of the past with the young voices carrying their legacy today. Featuring reflections from C.A.R. leadership and young members themselves, this episode celebrates history, service, leadership, and the generations who will carry America's story forward.
Throughout America's 250th anniversary year, DAR Today has spent considerable time looking back at the people whose courage, service, and sacrifice helped shape our nation's story.
But there is another group whose contributions have not always received the same attention:
The children.
Young people lived through the American Revolution too.
They carried messages.
They served as drummers.
They helped care for the sick and wounded.
They supported their families and communities.
And some took on responsibilities far beyond their years.
Their stories form an important part of America's Revolutionary history.
Today, another generation of young Americans is helping bring those stories forward.
The 2026–2027 National Society Children of the American Revolution theme, “Liberty’s Legacy,” encourages C.A.R. members to explore the often-overlooked contributions of children during the American Revolution and share those stories with others.
For DAR Today, the theme also presented an opportunity to do something we have not done enough:
Let the young people speak for themselves.
We spend a great deal of time talking about the next generation.
In this episode, we're listening to them.
DR. CELINE H. EVANS, NATIONAL VICE CHAIR/HOST ! Holding the mic for National Chair; True Lewis.
Daughters, throughout this historic anniversary year, we have spent a great deal of time looking back at the people who helped shape our nation. But today, I want us to remember someone else: the children.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, young people were not simply standing on the sidelines of the American Revolution. They were there too — carrying messages, serving, helping, learning, and sometimes taking on responsibilities far beyond their years.
Their names may not always be the ones we know best, but their courage belongs to the story.
And that is why I love this year’s C.A.R. theme so much: Liberty’s Legacy.
Led by National President William Elston and Senior National President Jamie Birchfield, C.A.R. members are looking back at the young people of the Revolution while also discovering what that legacy means for their own generation.
And Daughters, you know how much I love hearing from these young people — their curiosity, honesty, all their excitement, and yes, their laughter too.
So for this episode, I did not want us simply talking about the next generation. I wanted us to hear them.
Let the young people speak, because they are not just waiting to inherit our history. They are already helping carry it forward.
Welcome to Voices of Tomorrow: Liberty’s Legacy.
This is the DAR Today Podcast. I’m your host today, National Vice Chair Dr. Celine H. Evans.
Before we hear from today’s C.A.R. children, I wanted to begin with someone who understands both sides of this relationship exceptionally well.
Many of you know Mackie Storage through DAR, where she now serves as National Chair of the Children of the American Revolution Committee. But long before that role, C.A.R. was part of Mackie’s own leadership journey. She is a former National President of the Children of the American Revolution herself.
So Mackie understands what it means to sit where today’s young leaders sit — to learn, to serve, to lead, and eventually to carry that experience into DAR.
One of those young leaders is helping C.A.R. look back 250 years to uncover the stories of children who were leading, serving, sacrificing, and contributing during another extraordinary moment in American history.
National President William’s national project is asking C.A.R. members across the country to find those young people, learn their stories, and share them in their own communities.
Through a partnership with the National Park Service, the project is also raising funds for interactive panels at Yorktown that will recognize the contributions of youth during the Revolution.
And then there is another part of this project that I especially love.
Through the Leadership Legacy Campaign, C.A.R. members are being encouraged to complete 250 minutes of service. Daughters, they’re strengthening their leadership skills and putting the idea of legacy into action.
So Liberty’s Legacy is not only asking our young people to look backward. It is asking them:
What will you do with the history that has been placed in your hands?
And that brings us right back to why I wanted this episode.
We can tell you what C.A.R. is doing. We can explain the project. But ultimately, I want you, Daughters, to hear from the young people themselves.
Our National Vice Chair, editor, and producer, Dr. Celine Higgins Evans, sat down with six wonderful young voices and simply let them talk. She asked them about C.A.R., history, liberty, and what they are learning and carrying forward.
Nothing formal. Just children being children — thinking, sharing, laughing, and answering in their own way.
And Daughters, that is exactly what I wanted you to hear, because Liberty’s Legacy belongs to them.
So now, let’s take a listen.
WILL TIMS:
Hello, my name is Will Tims, and I’m the National First Vice President for the Children of the American Revolution.
QUESTION: What does liberty mean to you?
WILL: To me, liberty means having the freedoms to make my own choices, express my beliefs, and pursue endeavors that matter to me while respecting that others have those same freedoms.
QUESTION: What is one freedom you hope children will always have?
WILL: I hope that children will always be able to get an education that makes them upstanding people and future productive members of society.
QUESTION: What does Liberty’s Legacy mean to you?
WILL: Liberty’s Legacy represents everything that C.A.R. is about: recognizing children’s contributions and proving to our members that we can make an impact at such a young age.
QUESTION: What do you hope kids in the future remember about America’s liberty?
WILL: I hope kids remember liberty is never something to be taken for granted. This was a hard-fought battle over generations that gave them opportunities that our ancestors never got.
SOPHIA KAUFMAN:
Hi, my name is Sophia Kaufman, and I’m the National Corresponding Secretary of the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution.
To me, liberty means our Constitution — the ability to freely express ourselves through our words, beliefs, and actions while connecting with others who make different choices than ourselves.
Liberty is more than just freedom; it strengthens our unity.
I hope that all children will always have the freedom to express themselves. It is such an important stage in a young person’s life to find what makes them tick and have the opportunity to figure out their favorite music, clothes, style, hobbies, and more.
To me, Liberty’s Legacy means the ability to remember the children who fought for our freedoms during the American Revolution.
Not only can we honor their sacrifices, but learn to be grateful for the ease of our lives now and the ideals that we have been given.
We have inherited this freedom and must remember that it is our responsibility to carry this legacy forward and teach future generations why our liberty matters.
I hope that kids in the future remember the sacrifices their ancestors and forefathers made to create the great nation we live in today.
They fought, risked their lives, and risked being punished for standing up for their beliefs just so that we could enjoy the simplicities that we have now.
I hope future generations understand that the freedoms we take for granted came from people who stood up for what they believed in, no matter the cost.
REINHARD BRASKO
Hello, my name is Reinhard Brasko, and I’m the National Recording Secretary for the Children of the American Revolution.
QUESTION: What does liberty mean to you?
REINHARD: To me, liberty means the rights and freedoms we have in everyday America.
QUESTION: What is one freedom you hope children will always have?
REINHARD: I hope children will always have the freedom of speech and that they learn how to harness it and use their voice for good.
QUESTION: What does Liberty’s Legacy mean to you?
REINHARD: Liberty’s Legacy to me means learning and carrying on the stories of the children who have served our country.
QUESTION: What do you hope kids in the future remember about America’s liberty?
REINHARD: I hope that they remember that it came with a price. Countless people gave their lives and freedoms for the liberties we have today, and freedom is never truly free.
JAMES OWENS:
Hi, my name is James Owens. I am in seventh grade and 13 years old.
QUESTION: Who did you learn about who helped America to be free?
JAMES: I learned about Abraham Lincoln. He helped preserve the Union during the Civil War and worked to end slavery in the United States.
QUESTION: What is something that you love about America?
JAMES: I love that every part of America is different. We have different cultures, traditions, food, and places, but we’re still one country.
QUESTION: What does being free mean to you?
JAMES: Being free means being able to believe what you want, make your own choices, and have the opportunity to become who you want to be.
SCARLETT EVANS:
My name is Scarlett Evans.
QUESTION: Who did you learn about who helped America to be free?
SCARLETT: George Washington. He was a military leader and a moral leader. He won the war and guided people’s values in creating the nation.
HOST: Good choice.
QUESTION: What is something you love about America?
SCARLETT: There are so many people from all over the world together and united. We share our ideas and make the world a better place.
QUESTION: What does being free mean to you?
SCARLETT: The right to choose your own path in life and freedom of speech.
EMILY CLAIRE HIGGINS EVANS:
I am Emily Claire Higgins Evans.
QUESTION: Who did you learn about who helped America to be free?
EMILY: Harriet Tubman. She escaped slavery and then risked her own freedom to help other people escape through the Underground Railroad. She showed that freedom is something worth fighting for — not only for yourself, but others too.
QUESTION: What is something you love about America?
EMILY: I love that every part of America is different. We have different cultures, traditions, foods, and places, but we are still one country.
HOST: Yummy food, right?
EMILY: Yum, yum, yum!
QUESTION: What does being free mean to you?
EMILY: Being able to believe what you want, make your own choices, and have the opportunity to become who you want to be.
HOST: That’s a good thing, right?
EMILY: Yeah.
HOST: And I forgot — how old are you?
EMILY: I am eight years old.
HOST: And what grade?
EMILY: Third grade.
HOST: Third grade! Yay!
HOST: True Lewis, National Chair
Welcome to segment two.
One of DAR’s commemorative events is the 140th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, illuminating the ideals upon which our nation was founded.
During the Independence Jubilee Administration, members raised more than half a million dollars toward the Statue of Liberty’s restoration for its 1986 centennial.
President General Sarah McKelly King’s history specifically identifies the Independence Jubilee Administration, Liberty Love Day, the one-dollar member appeal, and the resulting gift of more than half a million dollars.
The Ellis Island page gives us the larger figure of $771,000 and names all three Presidents General under whose administrations the money was raised. It also connects this effort to DAR’s much larger and earlier work with immigrants at Ellis Island.
In American Spirit, the article “From France with Love” by Jeff Walter appeared in the March/April 2023 issue and featured DAR’s devotion to the Statue of Liberty. DAR later announced that the article received a Gold Award.
In 1985, a Michigan newspaper ran the headline “DAR Plans Valentine for Statue of Liberty,” explaining the Liberty Love Day campaign.
Newspapers from Georgia, including the Ledger-Enquirer and Macon Telegraph, also covered the campaign. Georgia Daughters’ 1985–1986 proceedings document a Statue of Liberty Restoration Committee and report that Georgia chapters alone contributed more than $16,000 during the drive.
On October 28, 2026, America marks the 140th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, officially named Liberty Enlightening the World.
The monument was presented by the people of France to the people of the United States and dedicated in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886.
One hundred years later, Daughters of the American Revolution helped ensure that Lady Liberty would continue to lift her torch for generations to come.
When the restored statue reopened during Liberty Weekend in 1986, Daughters could know that they had helped preserve one of America’s most recognizable symbols of freedom.
Forty years after that restoration, and 140 years after Lady Liberty was dedicated, her torch still shines — and DAR’s contribution remains part of the story.
Be sure to visit the Commemorative Events Committee webpage for more information.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, children lived through an uncertain moment in the life of a new nation.
Although history did not always preserve their names as carefully as it preserved the names of generals and statesmen, they were there.
Today, C.A.R. is helping us find them.
But perhaps there is another lesson in Liberty’s Legacy.
The young people we heard here today are not simply inheriting history. They have already become a part of it.
And you reminded us that liberty has a past — and because of young people like you, it has a future.
Special thanks to Mackie Storage, National Chair of the Children of the American Revolution Committee, for helping us connect the work of DAR and C.A.R. and for supporting this special conversation with our young people.
Thank you to our C.A.R. National Officers and young participants — Will, Sophia, James, Scarlett, Emily, and our National Recording Secretary — for sharing their voices with us.
And to our National Vice Chair, Dr. Celine H. Evans, who beautifully crafted and produced this episode.
With appreciation to President General Mrs. Ginnie Sebastian Storage and Mrs. Renee Pope Pace, Curator General and liaison to the DAR Today Podcast, for her continued guidance and support.
This episode was produced by the National Vice Chairs of the DAR Today Podcast Committee during the Storage Administration.
Links to N.S.C.A.R. and DAR will be included in our episode summary so that you can learn more.
I’m True Lewis, National Chair and Host.
Listen to us next week for What Are Chapters Doing? with your National Vice Chair, Haley Lancaster.
We’ll see ya.