A TRADITION OF CARING
Founders take a community-wide approach.
St. Joseph’s first community-wide charitable campaign took place in June of 1916 and raised over $25,000. Religious and business leaders turned that promising beginning into an ongoing way to address local human service needs, establishing the St. Joseph Federation for Charity and Philanthropy.
Wesley House (now Inter/Serv) Mother’s Club, circa 1930.
Wesley House
was one of the agencies funded in the first community
campaign.
The agencies that had shared in the proceeds from the initial campaign focused primarily on health or children’s welfare. The Federation’s leaders took their stewardship seriously, making sure that donors received their money’s worth. Even the earliest allocations records detailed services that had been supplied: the Baby Welfare Association dispensed over 15,000 quarts of milk and provided medical care for 1,124 babies; the Humane Society (at the time, serving as an advocate for children) investigated 974 complaints of abuse and neglect; and the Visiting Nurses Association kept track of how many patients recovered, went to the hospital, or died. Happily, the number of patients who improved far exceeded those with less positive outcomes!
While the earliest drives had been conducted by an outside consultant, a turning point came in 1924 when N.S. Hillyard became the first volunteer to lead a campaign—a tradition that continues to this day. The Federation also expanded the range of services, adding the YMCA, the YWCA, the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, and the Salvation Army to its family of participating agencies.
The Community Chest responds to the Depression.
The Federation
soon became popularly referred to as the Community Chest, a name change that
was made official in 1933. As the Great Depression left an estimated
one-in-four workers without jobs, President Hoover asked Community Chest organizations
across the nation to take a leading role in providing relief. In
St. Joseph, the Community Chest conducted two campaigns in 1931 (raising
over $240,000—a total that would not be topped until 1952), set
up an employment bureau, and hired its first executive director.
The New Deal ushered in a shift from private sector relief to government-sponsored
programs—a change that was underscored locally as the Community
Chest executive director resigned to take a new job with the Missouri
Relief and Reconstruction Administration. In the remaining years
of the Great Depression, a combination of publicly and privately funded
social services produced what one Community Chest annual report termed “a
more thoughtful approach to community problems.”
World War II and its aftermath bring changes.
During World War II, the Community Chest extended its local focus to include an international appeal, but attention quickly returned to the home front once the war ended. Responding to the changing times, the Community Chest enhanced both the citizen review process and its outreach efforts. But competition increased, too, as a rapid rise in charitable appeals took place following the war. In 1957 community leaders pressed for a single, all-encompassing campaign. Renamed the United Fund, the strengthened organization welcomed additional agencies and experienced a surge in contributions.
United Way of Greater St. Joseph looks to new ways to improve lives.
In 1975 the United Fund became the United Way of Greater St. Joseph. The new United Way retained the tradition of local control while gaining the advantage of a strong national association. Opportunities for networking, marketing, and training opened up. It had taken 61 years for the community to achieve its first million dollar campaign; the second million came just 12 years later.
Campaign growth began to slow, however, as plant closings and downsizing depleted the ranks of loyal donors. Adverse economic conditions also increased the need for safety-net services. United Way responded with support for information and referral services, as well as for emergency and domestic violence shelters. To develop new resources, United Way launched leadership and planned giving programs.
The community faced a crisis in the summer of 1993 as flood waters inundated the region. Relief agencies began meeting each morning at the United Way office to coordinate operations. The system of interagency cooperation worked so effectively that the experience served as the model for United Way’s Unmet Needs Committee, which has continued to supply assistance in cases of extreme need.
In recent years, United Way has emphasized a proactive approach—working to prevent problems while still meeting immediate needs. This new direction has produced important community initiatives, including the Profit in Education© program, Success By 6®, and the H.E.L.P. Fund. United Way’s efforts have already contributed to positive results: a lowering of the high school dropout rate, an increase in the number of adults completing their GEDs, better diabetes management for low-income diabetics, and improved quality in local childcare centers.
Progress in addressing root causes offers hope that the need for safety-net services can be reduced and even greater effort put into preventative measures. That emphasis is particularly important in helping kids succeed. As the community makes strides in giving children a good start in life, the prospects for the future become brighter.
