DAR Community Service Award Given to Alex Donnelly, Scouts of America

Polly Cooper, NSDAR Community Service Chair bestowed the Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in Community Service Award to Alex Donnelly on December 22 during Hawthorne Troop One's scout troop meeting in Thornwood.

Ms. McCrea stated she was "pleased to recognize the outstanding leadership that Alex provided to the Town of Mt. Pleasant community as he was working towards his Eagle Scout Project; installing and stocking three Little Free Libraries".

Alex researched little free libraries in the area and identified the need for additional Little Free Libraries to increase availability of books in the community. He cited the closure of libraries during the COVID pandemic and his heavy reliance on Little Free Libraries during that time and his overall love of reading as the impetus for his project.

He demonstrated leadership as he organized community volunteers to help implement his project. He showed patriotism by painting the libraries red, white and blue. Alex also coordinated multiple book drives in order to collect both adult and children books to stock the libraries.

Scoutmaster Mark Tothill noted, "the project, involve mapping all the existing libraries in Mount Pleasant, then building and installing three additional libraries and carefully identified locations. Over several months, he managed the planning, secured resources, organized volunteer labor from family, friends,and the troop andcoordinated book drives to fully stockthe new libraries".

The Polly Cooper chapter supports the organizations pillars of education, patriotism, and historic preservation. The chapter is active in literacy promotion and library outreach. Therefore, it is particularly fitting that the community service award be given to a scout that supports these initiatives.

To learn more about the Polly Cooper Chapter’s activities or inquire about membership, please email info@pollycooperdar.org.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), a non-profit, non-political women’s service organization, was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence. With approximately 190,000 members in 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the largest and most active volunteer service organizations. To learn more about the work of Today's DAR, visit dar.org.
Now is a perfect time to discover whether you have an American Revolutionary War Patriot in your family—as the United States approaches its Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.