Twenty-five years later, DAR Daughters continue to show that remembrance is not only something we speak about—it is something we live through service. From Patriot Day through the DAR Day of Service, these stories remind us that every chapter, every Daughter, and every act of service can help ensure that we never forget. Have a story to share? Email the DAR Today Podcast at darpodcast@nsdar.org
What are DAR chapters doing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11?
🌸 In this special DAR Today Podcast segment, National Vice Chair Haley Lancaster takes us on a roll call of service across the country, sharing how Daughters are honoring those lost on September 11, 2001, while supporting the first responders and communities serving today.
🌸 In this episode:
Across the Nation: Daughters are writing thank-you notes, assembling care baskets, hosting community remembrance programs, supporting law enforcement and firefighters, and bringing patriotic service into nursing homes and local communities.
Welcome, Daughters, to this special segment highlighting what our chapters are doing this September in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
From September 11 through the DAR Day of Service in October, Daughters across the country are honoring remembrance through meaningful service.
So, here is your National Vice Chair, Haley Lancaster, with a roll call of states and chapters and the ways Daughters are serving during this commemorative season.
When the Michigan State Society looked at their calendar and saw that their 2026 State Conference fell directly over the 25th anniversary of 9/11, they came up with a plan to commemorate the solemn event with a focus on what set Americans apart then and defines us now: service.
And it all started with a story sent to us by a Daughter who truly embodies that spirit. For 43 years, Michigan State Chaplain Eileen Rhodes served on the front lines as a first responder with the Bruce Township Fire Department, joining at just 19 years old and retiring in 2024. But as proud as she is of her decades in turnout gear, she is equally proud of her lineage, tracing her service back to her Patriot, Simeon Pryor, who served as a bodyguard to George Washington himself.
Last December, she had an idea: What if you brought these two core pillars of American dedication together in a single visual moment?
Fast-forward to June 6, 2026, at Bruce Township Station 3.
Under the guidance of State Regent Don Brady, 23 Michigan Daughters representing the Alexander Macomb Chapter, the John Crawford Chapter, and the State Executive Board donned their red, white, and blue. They stood side by side with five Bruce Township firefighters, some of whom Rhodes served with, including Battalion Chief Phil Reiniek.
The photos were captured through the lens of official photographer and retired Troy Police Captain Glenn Dunn, who is also the HODAR of the Michigan State Corresponding Secretary.
The resulting photos were a vivid reminder that whether you wear a firefighter’s turnout gear or a DAR ribbon, the heart of our mission is exactly the same: a commitment to serving others. That powerful chapter-led photo session was just the prelude.
From September 10 through September 13 in Kalamazoo, the State Society of Michigan took that spirit into their entire State Conference. On Friday, September 11, starting precisely at 8:35 a.m., Michigan Daughters convened for a profoundly moving ceremony of remembrance. As the timeline of 2001 unfolded, state officers rang a bell at key moments, including 8:46 a.m., honoring the 42 individuals connected to Michigan who were lost that day. The ceremony brought together crucial perspectives: historic preservation, lineage, and leadership.
State Historian Deb Mahatram reflected on how NSDAR responded 25 years ago, while Honorary State Regent Elizabeth Garner shared Michigan’s specific history on that fateful day. Vice President General Kelly Van Wormer connected Revolutionary Patriots to the modern patriots of 9/11 under the America 250 umbrella.
And with President General Ginnie Storage in attendance on Friday as a key speaker, she stood alongside State Regent Don Brady to reaffirm our solemn promise that the DAR will never forget.
The commemoration didn’t stop there.
Service to America Chairs Nancy Kremarzik and Debbie Mick launched the national initiative for a Month of Service from September 11 through October 11.
At the conference itself, Daughters stepped into the boots of a first responder, trying on full firefighter turnout gear to feel firsthand the weight of service our heroes carry every day. Interactive stations allowed members to consider ways to serve their communities.
So, as we look across the country at what chapters are doing to mark 25 years since that fateful day, let Michigan’s story set the tone.
Service isn’t just something we remember in our history books; it is something we live every single day.
Moving west to the red rocks of St. George, Utah, the Color Country Chapter brought the lived history of September 11 directly to their community.
What makes their commemoration so extraordinary is that the eyewitness perspectives aren’t coming from afar. They are coming from right inside their own chapter and local community.
During their September chapter meeting, members gathered to hear personal reflections from those who were on the front lines of aviation and emergency response during the crisis: a chapter member who served as a firefighter, another who was an airport manager at Denver International, and Chapter Regent Laura Miller herself, who served as an air traffic controller on that historic day. That powerful firsthand witness extends to the next generation, too.
On September 9 and 10, the chapter set up the St. George Field of Heroes, a public tribute featuring 343 American flags, each bearing the biography of a fallen firefighter.
Around 2,000 schoolchildren heard the story of Victor Guzman, who was on the 85th floor of the North Tower that day. After hearing his story, chapter members took those students through the display to read the biographies and document which stories most touched them.
For young students who have no living memory of 2001, hearing a personal story closes the gap between a historical event and a living reality.
In fact, Mr. Guzman shared that seeing past patriotic tributes put on by the people of St. George brought him to tears, noting that while the intense unity following 9/11 may have faded in some large cities, the steadfast spirit of honor and remembrance is alive and thriving in southern Utah.
Down in Kerrville, Texas, the Major James Kerr Chapter kicked off its 25th anniversary commemorations by bringing a piece of Ground Zero directly to their community. Because their autumn meetings fall later in September, the chapter got an early start by hosting retired New York City Fire Department Captain William Groneman III, who served on 9/11.
Captain Groneman brought his firsthand account of that day to the chapter, along with a deeply moving piece of history: an actual iron bolt recovered from the fallen Twin Towers. To honor that legacy of service in their own backyard, the chapter paired Captain Groneman’s presentation with a special presentation of NSDAR Distinguished Citizen Medals to two local volunteer fire department captains.
The Major James Kerr Chapter continued to pass that eyewitness history forward to the next generation by creating a 25th anniversary educational display in the main lobby of the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library before participating in the community Walk to Remember at Schreiner University.
It is a glowing example of how local chapters can connect the raw history of Ground Zero directly to the active heroes in our own hometowns.
In Greenville, South Carolina, the Nathaniel Greene Chapter has spent the last year working on a project that shows just how deep a community’s gratitude can run when it comes to supporting their local firefighters.
At the old Boiling Springs Fire Department station, a central piece of community history stood front and center: a 9/11 memorial featuring an actual steel beam recovered from the Twin Towers.
When the department built a brand-new fire station, moving that heavy, sacred piece of history to its new home required significant resources. So, the Nathaniel Greene Daughters stepped in to lead the charge hosting a drive-through donation barbecue day at the old station, members served hamburger and hot dog meals to community members passing through. The response from the town was overwhelming.
In fact, so many local residents drove through simply to donate money to the fire department without even taking a meal that the chapter raised more than $3,600 to fund the memorial’s relocation.
This year, on September 11, that vision came to fruition as the Boiling Springs Fire Department officially unveiled the relocated steel beam at its new station, with the Nathaniel Greene Chapter attending as a special guest of honor. It stands as a lasting monument not only to the sacrifice of 2001, but to a chapter’s active commitment to support their local first responders.
The Fort Steuben Chapter in Steubenville, Ohio, whose membership spans across state lines into West Virginia and Pennsylvania, is tackling its 25th anniversary commemoration by focusing on first responders then and now.
Taking a direct approach to service, the chapter went straight to a local firefighter to ask what their fire stations needed most right now.
The simple, honest answer?
“Food. It’s food.”
In response, the Fort Steuben Daughters launched a targeted food drive and gift card campaign supporting five local fire stations across Steubenville and neighboring Weirton, West Virginia, delivering packages of local favorites like pepperoni rolls, snacks, and grocery gift cards to ensure local crews are well taken care of on their shifts.
The chapter is also weaving that appreciation directly into its meetings. Alongside their tradition of honoring local veterans—focusing this month on veterans who continued their calling by becoming first responders—they are hosting local educators Dr. Shanna Wydra and Natalie Campang for a special presentation examining the bravery of first responders who risked everything on September 11.
From honoring historical sacrifice to stocking the pantries of today’s active crews, the Fort Steuben Chapter is ensuring our modern heroes feel the full weight of their community’s thanks.
Listeners, I wish I had time to share every extraordinary story sent in response to my call for submissions.
Reading through your emails and posts in the Daughters Online Community, one truth shines through.
Across the nation, Daughters are taking the time to remember the solemnity of September 11 while making sure the enduring spark of American resilience never fades.
Members of the Sheshaba Plains Chapter in Michigan expressed their gratitude with personal thank-you notes and treats for local police and fire stations.
In West Virginia, the William Henshaw Chapter assembled care baskets for their local sheriff’s department.
Out in Arizona, the Black Mountain Foothills Chapter co-hosted a town-wide remembrance event.
And in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the Fort Necessity Chapter hosted a patriotic afternoon of music and crafts for residents at a local nursing home.
Here I am at the end of this episode, and I still cannot squeeze in every story I heard. But I want you to know that every single act of service matters.
While that wraps up today’s episode, we always want to hear what your chapter is doing. So, email us at darpodcast@nsdar.org.
I’m National Vice Chair Haley Lancaster. Thank you for listening.
And, as always, Daughters, keep illuminating legacies.
Thank you, Haley, and thank you to every Daughter who answered our call and shared how your chapter or state is serving in remembrance of the 25th Anniversary of September 11.
This segment was created by Daughters, for Daughters, and every response reminded us that remembrance is still very much alive in our Society.
Whether you gathered in service, honored first responders, supported our military families, or simply taught the next generation, you made sure that your community remembered—and you helped us tell this story.
So, from 9/11 Day through the DAR Day of Service, we are carrying this remembrance together, Daughters.
Thank you again for answering the call, for sharing your service with us, and for showing America what Daughters are doing across this country.
We remember. We serve. And together, we will Never Forget. 🇺🇸
Thank you.
This has been another episode of What Are Our Chapters Doing? through the DAR Today Podcast.
We’ll see you next month.