Other Voices

Gwendolyn Bondi grew up hearing family stories about her ancestors who had fought in the war for America’s independence. She and her mother worked together to document their family history and Bondi became a member of the Old Hellebergh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in 1994; her own daughter is now a member, too. In this week’s podcast, Bondi talks about Constitution Week, initiated by the DAR in 1955, which starts on Sept. 17. At 4 p.m. that Thursday, Bells Across America will ring — at schools, churches, firehouses, town halls, court houses, and in the hands of citizens. Although the Fourth of July, celebrating the Declaration of Independence, is abundantly observed, Bondi feels the 233-year-old Constitution deserves equal recognition. Bondi also talks about the Old Hellebergh Chapter, founded 41 years ago, which in normal times, meets in the 1803 Mynderse-Frederick House in Guilderland Center. She is now vice regent of the chapter. Bondi, and her two-score DAR sisters, whom she describes as diverse, work on projects ranging from distributing personal-care items to veterans and women at Hope House to giving personal protective equipment to local hospitals. “I myself have been sewing, sewing, sewing,” said Bondi as she makes everything from baby blankets to surgical caps and masks.