Missouri Daughters support education at all levels by providing interesting and informative programs, by working with schools and youth organizations within their communities, and by promoting literacy through volunteer service at schools or public libraries.
DAR sponsors contests for students in grades five through twelve and college or university graduates to encourage greater interest in American history and to encourage good citizenship and leadership: the American History essay contest (grades five through eight); the Christopher Columbus essay contest (grades nine through twelve), the DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest (grade twelve), Junior American Citizens Contest (preschoolers through grade twelve), the Gold ROTC Medal (college or university graduate being commissioned in one of the U.S. Armed Services), the Bronze ROTC Medal (junior or senior high school student in a secondary school JROTC program), Silver DAR Outstanding Cadet Medal, DAR Youth Citizenship Medal (grades five through eleven), and the DAR Distinguished Citizen Medal (18 years or older). Winners are recognized by their sponsoring chapters and essays are submitted for state-level recognition.
The Kate Duncan Smith DAR School in Grant, Alabama, was founded by the DAR in 1924 and serves as a day school for grades kindergarten through 12th grade. Four other schools are on the DAR approved list: Berry College, Georgia; Crossnore School, North Carolina; Hillside School, Massachusetts; and Hindman Settlement School, Kentucky. To learn more about how DAR supports education in remote areas, please visit “DAR Schools” on the NSDAR website.
Missouri Daughters sponsor a scholarship fund and provide support to Missouri’s “College of the Ozarks” — “Hard Work U®” — where students from low-income families can receive an education while working their way through school without acquiring outstanding debt.