DENVER - It may be the most common and popularly held hobby for any family: seeking out your genealogy.
For 66-year-old Joanne Holcomb, family roots have never been a difficult thing to track down on her mother's side. As a descendent of the Allen Family of Vermont, who fought during the Revolutionary War, Holcomb's family history follows a straight line all the way back to several years before the beginning of the United States. Holcomb is an official "Daughter of the American Revolution."
"I think it's pretty exciting," Holcomb said. "You find out such wonderful stuff about your family you wouldn't know, because people don't usually leave history behind."
Holcomb's well-documented family history has inspired her to serve her country in the same way that her ancestors did all of those years ago. A member of the Colorado Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Holcomb serves as the program's second vice regent. DAR titles require a cause, and Holcomb decided to dedicate her focus to serving to veterans.
For her outstanding service with the DAR, Holcomb was awarded as the May 2010 winner of the 9Who Care award.
When Holcomb joined the DAR five years ago, she noticed that there was a heavy dedication to reaching out to veterans of World War II and Vietnam. However, Holcomb says there is a significant drop off when it comes to awareness about the need for the same service to those who have fought in recent wars, such as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The fallacy these days about veterans is that they're old people. They're not old people. Because you look at those pictures of men and women fighting in Iraq, those are the people that are the veterans and those are the people that have the greatest need," Holcomb said.
As the DAR's second vice regent, Holcomb travels across the state to encourage other chapters of the DAR to serve and give back to their local veterans. Holcomb gathers donations of quilts, movies, magazines and books for regular deliveries to the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Denver. No matter the season, the gifts never fail to brighten a veteran's day at the VA hospital.
"We need to say thank you. I can't do enough," Holcomb said. "I look at how lucky I am, and what I've enjoyed, and what I've continued to enjoy, and it's because of these guys [and women] who continue to serve over there on my behalf."
Please congratulate Joanne Holcomb, the May 2010 winner of the 9Who Care award.
(KUSA-TV © 2010 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)