News Release

WARSAW — The Agnes Pruyn Chapman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Warsaw East Pizza Hut with two guests.

The first guest was Eric Lane from Fellowship Missions. He and his wife founded this faith-based homeless shelter more than 15 years ago. It is on East Winona Avenue in Warsaw with 51 beds. The organization is in the process of building a new 51,000-square-foot facility next door that will have a 120-bed capacity designed with family dorms and single-parent dorms. The current facility has men on one side and women on the other. This non-government-funded, faith-based shelter offers job placements and life and parenting skills to help residents. The average stay at the shelter is 200 days. Fellowship Missions also runs “The Gathering Place,” which has an informal coffee house-type atmosphere and is open for anyone in the community. It is located downtown on the corner of Market and Buffalo streets.

The second guest was Kelli Schneider, who is a volunteer at “Room at the Table.” This is a closet program available to anyone who is a licensed foster parent. It is located at the Winona Lake Grace Church. The program offeres free items such as baby cribs, high chairs, diapers, clothing and other items that are needed for children from birth through 18 years of age who are in the foster system. Children sometimes arrive suddenly at a foster home with nothing to very little.

Regent Kathy Gawthrop opened the business meeting with the opening rituals, pledge to the flag and recitation of the American’s Creed and Preamble to the Constitution. Gawthrop read the monthly president general’s message. Susan Creamer gave the national defense report on the 250th birthday of the U.S. Navy, which is this year. On Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of the Continental Navy. Massachusetts supplied Gen. George Washington with an armed schooner and a sloop for the purpose of seizing British supplies. On Nov. 9, 1775, word arrived that King George III declared the colonies to be in a state of open rebellion. In the following weeks, Congress authorized more ships of war and thus the American Navy was first established.

Gawthrop passed out information and registration forms for the DAR Fall Forum, which is Nov. 7 and 8 in Indianapolis.

For closing, Gawthrop read an article on “America’s Most Historical Square Mile” in Philadelphia. This is home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Independence Hall is built in red brick Georgian architecture. In 1752, the Liberty Bell was inscribed with “Proclaim Liberty Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Therof” from Leviticus 25:10.

Membership in DAR is open to any woman who is able to prove her lineage to an American Revolutionary patriot who fought in or aided the war effort for independence. For more information, visit the DAR website at dar.org.