Dare to Declare: Declaration of Independence - Host Evaluation Survey

Thank you for hosting a Dare to Declare reading of the Declaration of Independence!

In 2026, hundreds of readings will take place across Chester County and beyond, hosted by nonprofits, libraries, schools, heritage sites, community groups, and private citizens.

The Chester County Community Foundation and its America250 Friends initiative are encouraging readings of the Declaration of Independence across the county and yours has been an important part of linking the past to the present. Each event helps bring the Declaration’s words and ideas to life, connecting our nation’s founding principles to today’s civic life.

This short survey will only take a few minutes of your time. Thank you for sharing your experience and insights!

Let Freedom Ring!

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1. Who/what organization planned your event?

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2. Event Location (town, venue, or site name)

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3. Zip code of the venue (if known)

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4. Date(s) of your Dare to Declare event

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5. What was the estimated total attendance?

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6. Here are some goals for the Dare to Declare initiative. Please tell us how well your event accomplished each of these.

	Very Much	Somewhat	A Little	Not At All
Helped people commemorate our nation's heritage	Helped people commemorate our nation's heritage Very Much	Helped people commemorate our nation's heritage Somewhat	Helped people commemorate our nation's heritage A Little	Helped people commemorate our nation's heritage Not At All
Brought a wider audience to our site	Brought a wider audience to our site Very Much	Brought a wider audience to our site Somewhat	Brought a wider audience to our site A Little	Brought a wider audience to our site Not At All
Helped people understand what we fought against, to gain our nation's independence	Helped people understand what we fought against, to gain our nation's independence Very Much	Helped people understand what we fought against, to gain our nation's independence Somewhat	Helped people understand what we fought against, to gain our nation's independence A Little	Helped people understand what we fought against, to gain our nation's independence Not At All
Built a sense of shared community	Built a sense of shared community Very Much	Built a sense of shared community Somewhat	Built a sense of shared community A Little	Built a sense of shared community Not At All
Was fun; built a sense of camaraderie	Was fun; built a sense of camaraderie Very Much	Was fun; built a sense of camaraderie Somewhat	Was fun; built a sense of camaraderie A Little	Was fun; built a sense of camaraderie Not At All
Gained participation by under-represented people	Gained participation by under-represented people Very Much	Gained participation by under-represented people Somewhat	Gained participation by under-represented people A Little	Gained participation by under-represented people Not At All
Gave people a voice	Gave people a voice Very Much	Gave people a voice Somewhat	Gave people a voice A Little	Gave people a voice Not At All
Served as a forum for constructive discussion about independence & our nation's founding principles	Served as a forum for constructive discussion about independence & our nation's founding principles Very Much	Served as a forum for constructive discussion about independence & our nation's founding principles Somewhat	Served as a forum for constructive discussion about independence & our nation's founding principles A Little	Served as a forum for constructive discussion about independence & our nation's founding principles Not At All
Was educational & enlightening	Was educational & enlightening Very Much	Was educational & enlightening Somewhat	Was educational & enlightening A Little	Was educational & enlightening Not At All

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7. Which best describes your venue? (select one)

School, college, university

Tavern, restaurant

Library

History, heritage, culture site

Park, preserve, garden, farm

Community center

Family gathering/family picnic

Neighborhood gathering

Place of worship

Theatre, auditorium

Other (please specify)

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8. How would you categorize your event? (check all that apply)

Stand-alone Declaration reading

Part of an existing community festival or program

Paired with a lecture, panel, or discussion

School or classroom program

Faith-based gathering

Civic gathering

Other (please specify)

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9. Did you add additional elements to your program? (check all that apply)

Audience discussion

Music or performance

Partner readings (e.g. Douglass, Lincoln, Stanton)

Children's or family activities

Food/refreshments

Wish Wall or interactive reflection activity

Other (please describe)

None of the above

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10. Please share any comments that will help others holding Dare to Declare events:

If you'd like us to follow up with your comments, please leave your name and email address here:

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11. Name:

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12. Email address:

Thanks for helping make America’s 250th meaningful in Chester County! To host your own Dare to Declare Declaration of Independence reading, find resources, and register your event, visit the Dare to Declare page at A250 Friends.org/DareToDeclare.

Your feedback helps community organizers, teachers, and volunteers across Chester County make future Dare to Declare readings even more meaningful and inclusive.

To see what else is going on in Chester County this year go to A250Friends.org.

If you have photos, quotes, or stories to share, please email them to Emily@chescocf.org or tag @a250friends on social media.

Thank you for helping keep the spirit of independence alive in 2026!

100% of survey complete.