34 / 150
in most cases had been successful. Mr.
Street said he would be glad to be of
any assistance to Kingdom House…”
12
It is not clear in the Women’s Board
minutes as to why the matter rested until
eleven months later, but in December it
was announced “that the Men’s Board
as well as the Woman’s favored the
Community Chest plan so there would
be no annual collection…”
13
A few
weeks later, “…Mrs. French reporting
for the Finance Committee, said the
treasurer was working on a report for
Community Chest, and because of this
new plan the annual drive would be
omitted…”
14
The following month:
…Mr. Basler [pastor of Kingdom House]
conducted the devotional exercises, and at
their conclusion spoke of the Community
Fund and our part in it. Mr. Basler is taking
an active part being one of the speakers for
it…Mrs. French, chairman of the finance
committee spoke of the Community Fund
and read a letter from that organization
stating that our Budget of $18,016.58 had
been approved. The allowances will be paid
monthly beginning April first. Mrs. French
also mentioned the work of Mr. Ray Carter,
Mr. Harry Wallace and Mr. Fristoe, who
are all much interested in our Kingdom
House affairs, and are taking such important
positions in the Community Fund….
15
This Central Council of 1921,
Community Fund of 1922, Social
Planning Council of St. Louis of
1937, ultimately became the United
Way of St. Louis in 1958. By the late
1950s, this group had grown to nearly
two hundred member organizations,
including Kingdom House. According
to United Way history, the concept
began in Denver, Colorado in 1887,
when community leaders responded
to the human-relief needs of the
numerous pioneer families in the area.
These leaders came together to form
the Charity Organization Society and
sponsored a unified campaign drive.
As Professor of Social Work Eleanor
Brilliant asserts, “From the beginning,
the charity organization movement
embodied…at least two…functions…
[T]here was concern about insuring
that the needy were provided with
appropriate assistance; on the other
hand, charity was not to be given
indiscriminately – it was to be given
sparingly, and on a scientifically
determined basis, avoiding duplication
of effort.”
16
St. Louisans responded
similarly by founding and organizing
their Community Fund in the early
1920s. This Fund was established to
coordinate some forty philanthropies
and charities and raised over a million
dollars in its first drive. Bishop Holt
had his own memories of the important
relationship between the formation of
the Community Fund and Kingdom
House:
…Until the organization of the first
Community Fund we had in St. Louis an
institution [Kingdom House] that was
maintained first by St. John’s and then
by collections in other churches as those
31
C
hapter
T
wo
:
‘F
orgetting
O
ne
’
s
S
elf
in
S
ervice
to
H
umanity
’ (1928 – 1955)
T
his
C
entral
C
ouncil
of
1921, C
ommunity
F
und of
1922, S
ocial
P
lanning
C
ouncil
of
S
t
. L
ouis of
1937,
ultimately
became
the
U
nited
W
ay of
S
t
. L
ouis
in
1958.
P
hoto
:
B:
Kingdom House
Girl Scouts, circa 1930s
B