Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-14
CHANCES TO Do GOOD
Fourteen Opportunities to
Cause Christmas Happiness.
SAD STORIES OF DISTRESS
Cases Investigated by the Associated
Charities.
REAL NEED OF RELIEF
Instances Described of Brave Strug-
giles Against the Handicaps
of Fortune.
RELIEF
NEED OF r

NhrlStiidS cneer and happiness .,61 days
In the year is what the Associated Chair
ties announces it wants to bring to the
fourteen families described below Last
year the special opportunity idea was
inaugurated in Washington
Broad charity has grown to mean
something more than almsgiving and
temporary relief the announcement
sets forth. "To those most intimate with
its workings, the thought of pensoning
family that needs strong arms to lift
temporarily a burden of maddening, op
pressing. financial worry is not as I'M
certain an action as it once was, because
now we know we are giving to help work
out well organized plan with a definite
end in view. and while the relief is going
into the home there is also a social ply
stefan in charge of the family. The prac-
teal experience last year demonstrated
the wisdom of the plan. These families
were given a fresh start and today are
| nearer self-support than they could have
been without the help then given
Contributions may be sent to the AS
ISOLATED Charities, 923 II street northwest.
Fourteen Opportunities.
| The fourteen opportunities follow:
dren, the eldest eleven years of age and
the youngest a mere baby The father
| is in the tuberculosis hospital and prob
| ably will never be able again to give
the family the care he once did One little
boy has his fathers trouble in another
form, tuberculosis of the knee, and needs
watchful care and special diet. The little
woman Is good mother who takes eX
cellent care Of her children and is making
heroic effort TO keen them with her She
| is not overstrong and aside from her
own work can do only a little sewing.
Their church pays their rent and gives
| them $50 in groceries. In addition to
this 81 week, or $lI6 a year, will he
| required to keep these children with their
mother. What better Christmas present
could they have?
An accident while at work, which was
no fault of either the man his en-
ployer, left another woman a widow with
fiVe children under twelve years of age.
AT the time, the wife was in the hospital
too ill to know of her trouble. She is
still too weak to do more than care for
her two younger children and until she
Is stronger the two older ones are in an
institution. There relatives to
whom she can turn, but n friend, q poor
woman herself. has taken her in with her
two small children at a nominal rent of
- "a month. Three dollars and d half
week. or $50 IA year. will help to reha bill
tate this home The best Christmas pres
ent to this mother would be the assur-
ance that she has friends to see that she
does not have to lose her children, as
well as her husband. She will then soon
regain her strength and be able to have
| the others with her.
| For a year now the pension raised last
December has helped this little mother
to keep together her brothers and sisters.
| The family consists of blind colored
| man and his four motherleSS children.
| The girl who is is HOinYr a
| mothers part by the younger ones and
with the advice and friendly supervision
of the district visitor is fast becoming a
model housekeeper. With better care and
| better food the fathers sight is improv-
| ing. The younger children are doing we'll
at school. Is 1t not worth while con-
! tinuing this for another year until the
next child. boy. can become a bread
year, is needed. in addition to what the
relatives are able TO do. and is the Christ
mas present for this family.
The man is seventy-eight years old
very frail and feeble: the wife, little
younger. neat seamstress who earns
about s. week. They have no children
but sister pays the rent for the two
| rooms in which they live. y brother
contributes all he can to them, but I'M
less their income can be supplemented
by 81 a week this old couple will have to
be separated Probably before another
/ l
to his Father The best Christmas
present they can have is the knowledge
| that they will not have to De separated
in this world. The gift needed is So.
A young woman. deserted by her hus-
! band who left her with four children
| under nine years of age, one newborn
baby. warrant is out for the man, but
as yet nothing has been heard of him.
The .woman's family has rallied around
her and are paving her rent. and, tenn
| porarly, her church is caring for two of
| the children and supplying the fuel. On
account of her young baby the mother
| can only do a little sewing to help sup
port her children. Three dollars a week,
or 1856 year. will be required to hep this
! wronged woman to keep her children.
Who will help make this Christmas pres
| ent?
The father of this family colored
man. has recently gone blind. He is a
good man, who took good care of his fam
lily until physically disabled. There are
five children, all under fourteen years of
age. The wife does laundry work, but
with the care of her young children is
able to average only about 81 week.
The father is anxious and willing to learn
something to become self-supporting, but
there is no place in the District where
such instruction can be given Six dollars
a week. or $;12. will be required to keep
this home intact. A knowledge that
friends have provided means by which
they may be kept together will bring
Christmas cheer to this family 800 days
in the year
A German widow with five children
ranging from ten to four years of age.
When the husband died there was a little
: insurance. This insurance was used to
make the first payment on a little house.
To keep up payments on this house so
month is required This is cheaper
than they could get the same house rent
ing. The mother averages about 81 per
week at laundry work, and cannot do
more than this and take proper care of
her family. Her church pays half of the
rent. Four dollars week. or sos year.
| is the Christmas present required to make
this family happy