Americanism & Chapter Challenge – Florida Society SAR
The Americanism & Chapter Challenge recognizes the chapters that show the strongest outreach in promoting an understanding of fundamental American traditions in their local communities, at both state and national level. Chapters earn points for activities listed on the Americanism Award Combined Score Sheet.
How chapters compete
Chapters are grouped by size so that a small chapter is not measured against a large one. Membership is taken as of 1 January of the contest year, and four awards are made annually, one in each group.
| Group | Chapter membership |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | 1 to 40 members |
| Group 2 | 41 to 90 members |
| Group 3 | 91 to 150 members |
| Group 4 | 151 or more members |
The top three chapters in each group are recognized at the Florida Society’s Annual Meeting. The contest period is the calendar year, 1 January to 31 December.
The SMART File
The SAR Mission Activities Record Tracker File, known as the SMART File, supports the program and serves as an all-inclusive activity reporting system. It lets chapters draw on the expertise of their own members to develop and run activities that support the National Society’s strategic objectives.
The program aims to increase chapter participation in key contests, to support the decision-making of the National Society, and to ensure every chapter receives credit for all aspects of its work.
The SMART File is also a single point of reporting. It absorbs the former Stark Report along with C.A.R. and D.A.R. activities, which reduces the number of separate chapter activity reports a secretary has to file.
Download the current SMART File from the National Society.
Chapter presidents and their designated Americanism & Chapter Challenge representative are encouraged to complete SAR University courses 215 and 216 to get the most from the file. Further guidance on the SMART File is available.
Annual workflow
| Dates | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 January – 31 December | Chapters update their report continuously through the year. |
| 1 – 15 January | Chapters finalize their SMART report. |
| 15 – 30 January | Chapters submit to the State Secretary. |
| 30 January – 15 February | The State Secretary submits to the committee. |
| 15 – 25 February | The state report is finalized. |
| No later than 28 February | The state report is submitted to the National Society. |
The Florida Americanism & Chapter Challenge Committee works with the Florida Society Secretary to ensure both chapter and state reports reach the National Society in time for the national contest. The Florida Society submits every chapter report it receives.