Chapter Activities and Projects

Cahuilla Chapter, NSDAR, has a tradition of recognizing and rewarding individuals with Daughters of the American Revolution’s various awards.  Each year at least one person in our Coachella Valley or High Desert communities is given the Community Service Award which recognizes worthy individuals for unpaid volunteer achievements in cultural, educational, humanitarian, patriotic, citizenship, or environmental conservation endeavors.  Our chapter has also given DAR Conservation Medals and the DAR Medal of Honor, which is one of the highest medals the DAR bestows.

Education is a key DAR tenet, and we work with middle and high school students to encourage the study of our nation’s history and knowledge of the U.S. Constitution.  Essay contests with approved topics by the DAR are conducted annually and require students to research our country’s history.  We honor winners and participants each spring.  In addition, we present medals and awards to local Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets, and a junior college student nurse award is also given.

We honor veterans and military personnel by donating food and comfort items to the United Service Organizations (USO) Center at the Palm Springs Airport and contributing to DAR Project Patriot which focuses on meeting the needs of active-duty personnel currently serving our country. We also provide chapter volunteers to host the Palm Desert VA Clinic coffee cart.

On Friday, January 31, 2025, the Cahuilla Chapter celebrated the 77th anniversary of its founding at the historic Cathedral City home of one of its founders. Members gathered at the former residence of Cahuilla co-founder and artist Agnes Pelton to dedicate a commemorative plaque honoring her legacy.

Pelton’s work has been featured in major exhibitions in recent years, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Palm Springs Art Museum. Widely recognized as a leading figure among the Desert Transcendentalists, she has also been described as “the forgotten woman modernist” and a “mystical painter.” The New York Times has placed her among “modernism’s pantheon.”

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

California State Society Daughters of the American Revolution