Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has set a Guinness world record for collecting the most letters in one month for military service members.
The organization collected 100,904 letters that met Guinness eligibility requirements — handwritten; addressed to an active duty service member; placed inside a stamped, unsealed envelope; and hand-delivered to DAR headquarters in Washington, DC.
“We felt pretty confident we could get the 10,000 needed for the world record,” said Bren Landon, DAR’s director of public relations. “But we didn’t imagine we would get 10 times as many.”
DAR used social media, fliers and word of mouth to encourage participation from their members, as well as the communities they serve.
The organization also enlisted help from supporters such as Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who contributed a letter.
Volunteers are now sealing the envelopes, which will be mailed to their recipients by the end of the month.
DAR has supported military personnel through letters and care packages since it began, but took this step to set a world record in commemoration of the organization’s 125th anniversary.
“Service members have already started happily receiving the letters,” said Landon.
