ILLINOIS STATE ORGANIZATION
NATIONAL SOCIETY DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
DISTRICT I
District Director
Amy Balensiefen
115 E North St, Geneseo 61254
309-830-9378
balensiefenamym@johndeere.com
District Officers
| Director | Amy Balensiefen | Geneseo Chapter | 309.830.9378 |
| Chaplin | Deb Van Sant | Mary Little Deere-Fort Armstrong Chapter | 563.349.5380 |
| Recording Secretary | Katrina Sotomayor | Peoria Chapter | 217.766.6709 |
| Treasurer | Denise Best | Spoon River Chapter | 309.338.4324 |
District Committee Chairs
| America 250! | Debby Coe | Chief Shaubena Chapter | 217.847.1447 |
| American History | Pam Johnson | Rebecca Parke Chapter | 309.351.9186 |
| Celebrate Daughters | Karen Ghighi | Black Partridge Chapter | 309.267.1585 |
| Constitution Week | Ellie Toomer | Thomas Walters Chapter | 309.547-2506 |
| DAR Good Citizen | Keela Ernst | Shadrach Bond Chapter | 217.847.3896 |
| DAR Magazine | Katrina Sotomayor | Peoria Chapter | 217.766.6709 |
| DAR Schools | Valerie Horton | Black Partridge Chapter | 309.258.0548 |
| DAR Service for Veterans | Aleta Rossman | Chief Shaubena Chapter | 309.255.3281 |
| Junior American Citizens (JAC) | Kenda Bond | Black Partridge Chapter | 309.444.5087 |
| Junior Membership | |||
| The Flag of the United States of America | |||
| VIS/Website | Debby Coe | Chief Shaubena Chapter | 217-847.1447 |
| Women Issues | Karen Ghighi | Black Partridge Chapter | 309.267.1585 |
District Members Serving National Society
and Illinois State Organization
| Enid Hall Griswold Memorial Scholarship National Vice Chair | Debby Coe, Chief Shaubena Chapter |
| JAC North Central Division Chair | Jennifer Melton, Rebecca Parke Chapter |
| National Vice Chairman Insignia Support | Jennifer Melton, Rebecca Parke Chapter |
| State Conference Advisor | Debby Coe, Chief Shaubena Chapter |
| Biennial Proceedings & Sales | Denise Scislowicz, Peoria Chapter |
| Membership – Illinois State Committee District I | Ann Heller, Geneseo Chapter |
| Finance – Illinois State Committee Chairman | Carolyn Kraft, Peoria Chapter |
| Membership – Illinois State Committee District I | Ann Heller, Geneseo Chapter |
Calendar
| September 5, 2025 | DAR Days, Districts I, III, & V Northfield Inn, Suites & Conference Center, 3280 Northfield Dr., Springfield, IL 62702 |
| September 10, 2025 | Regent Virtual Roundtable |
| September 17-23, 2025 | Constitution Week |
| October 11, 2025 | NSDAR Day of Service |
| October 12, 2025 | NSDAR Day of Prayer |
| October 15, 2025 | District I Meeting 9:30 am, Knoxville UMC |
| November 1, 2025 | Good Citizens Chapter Winner State deadline American History Video Contest State deadline (electronic submission) Chapter deadline to send photos for District I DAR Magazine Ad (send to Katrina) |
| November 11, 2025 | Rebecca Parke Chapter Veteran celebration 9am - Galesburg Wal-Mart |
| December 1, 2025 | Chapters update history for State Historian’s book (2010-2025) American History Essay Contest District deadlines |
| January 1, 2026 | Constitution Week Poster Chapter deadline |
| January 4, 2026 | State deadline for District Ads |
| January 15, 2026 | American History Essay Contest State deadlines American Heritage Contest National deadline for Fiber Arts Constitution Week Poster Contest State deadline |
| January 31, 2026 | Chapter Master Report National deadline Chapter deadline for Daughters Newsletter Ads (send to Gail Balsamello) |
| February 15, 2026 | American Heritage Contest National deadline for all other entries |
| April 18, 2026 | Spoon River Marks Grave Marking of Catherine Sornberger, wife of a patriot 10 am |
| April 23-26, 2026 | State Conference DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington, Bloomington, IL |
| June 3, 2026 | District I Mini-Tour 9 am, Knoxville UMC |
| June 13, 2026 | Flag Day Speaker & Lunch Roseville |
| June TBD | Rebecca Parke Chapter America 250! Historic Marker Knox County Courthouse |
| June 24, 2026 | Illinois Supper Grand Hyatt, Washington, D.C. |
| June 24-June 28, 2026 | Continental Congress Washington, D.C. |
To view other dates and deadlines see the SIP page on the Illinois website.
District Chapters & Regents
| Carthage | Shadrach Bond | Keela Ernst | 309.337.0087 |
| Eureka | Black Partridge | Valerie Horton | 309.258.0548 |
| Galesburg | Rebecca Parke | Pamela Johnson | 309.351.9186 |
| Geneseo | Geneseo | Amy Balensiefen | 309.830.9378 |
| Kewanee | Kewanee | Betsy Tocha | 309.854.2510 |
| Lewistown | Thomas Walters | Ellie Toomer | 309.547.2506 |
| Macomb | General Macomb | Eileen Worthington | 309.333.6801 |
| East Moline | Mary Little Deere-Ft. Armstrong | Catherine Humphrey | 309.373.0214 |
| Peoria | Peoria | Linda Sedgwick | 309.645.6321 |
| Roseville | Chief Shaubena | Debby Coe | 217.816.1447 |
| Williamsfield | Spoon River | Denise Best | 309.338.4324 |
For technical questions or comments about this site, please contact the webmaster. | Last Updated November 2, 2025