Student celebrates his American heritage with national leadership role
by Erin Robertson

Junior Thomas Taylor is the national president of the Children of the American Revolution, or the CAR.

The CAR is America’s oldest patriotic youth organization. The ages of the members range from birth to 22. Taylor became involved in the CAR through his mother, who was a member of the DAR, or Daughters of the American Revolution. Before Taylor was even born, his mother made him a member of the CAR.

The members of the organization honor the memory of those who died during the American Revolution.

“We honestly think we’re blessed,” Taylor says.

CAR is a non-profit organization with 10,000 members nationwide. There are 20 national officers and 15 of them are college students.

CAR members do different types of community service, parades and programs. “Kids Helping Kids” is a program in which members of the CAR donate clothing, food and other basic necessities to those less fortunate.

Taylor has been in the CAR for 20 years and has been an active member since he was 15. Taylor puts together different projects for the year and leads the Regional Tour which covers nine cities around the country. The older members put on skits for the children as a way of teaching them the importance of American history.

One of Taylor’s fondest memories was when the CAR visited a high school during their Regional Tour. The group was standing around the American flag when a child no more than six years old gazed up to Taylor and says, “A lot of people died to get us that.”

There is an extensive amount

of traveling involved in being the national president of the CAR. Taylor also takes 19 credit hours at school.

He said, “I do my homework in cars, trains, and planes. I’ve become one of those men who type on their laptop computer at the airport.”

Although Taylor misses a lot of classes, he says his teachers have been very supportive.

“My teachers will ask me to write a paper on it or mail them a postcard from some weird place!”

CAR’s national project is to restore the original Star Spangled Banner. They will raise funds to purchase and donate an air pollution control monitor for the flag.

This past summer, the CAR attended an event in which Ralph Lauren donated money for the restoration of the Star Spangled Banner. It was then that Taylor got the chance to experience something not many people ever get to do, meet the President of the United States

“I gave him a T-shirt, a button and an ink pen,” Taylor comments.

Taylor has an office in his hometown of Washington D.C. but he adds that, “I’ve only seen it a couple of times.”

Presently, Taylor has a 1000 person convention to plan. He says, “I plan on not sleeping...”

There is definitely a lot of work that goes into being the national president of the CAR.

“It can be overwhelming at times, but the experience is really great,” Taylor says.

As for future plans, Taylor hopes to get married, become a high school teacher, have children and, of course, as Taylor laughs, “put them in CAR.”