Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-07-10
ARMY FAMILIES
WILL &c / AID
Ottumwa's Red Cross Chap
ter Organizes Civilian
Relief Service

Realizing that civilian relief during
time of war is just as important as
military activities, the OttumWa chap-
ter of the American Red Cross, having
jurisdiction over Wapello county, pro
noses to outline definite working
man To take care Of this branch OF
service.
To do so successfully will mean the
rooneratiye assistance of every pos
sible volunteer in the community.
There must be committees which will
york. there must be money raised TO
helm take care Of the many problems
which will arise and there must De
halners who will volunteer their. ser
vices.
WHAT OF FAMILIES?
There are men enlisting from this
vicinity and there will be many others
who will go under the select1ve dra1t
who leave families not dependent on
what the soldier earns to Keep tnem
during the long, weary days whlcn are
ahead.
But in this community the same as
IN any other, there will be families let
alone, helpless in more ways than one
and wholly dependent upon the enorts
Of organized relief workers for assist
ance.
Then It is that the civilian relief de-
partment of the Red Cross comes IN.
MEET WITH sTiLLMAN.
c. c. Stillman Of St Paul, Mimi, has
been put in charge of directing tnls
sort OF work in Iowa.
He was In Ottumwa yesterday ana
4 number Of social workers and Red
Cross members met with him for two
hours in the Commercial club during
the afternoon.
MANY of the problems which will
arise here were discussed and informa-
, tion gathered as to how they shall De
met.
DUTIES ARE PLAIN.
The duties OF the civilian relief de-
! nartment of the Red Cross are plain
to every community.
Here there are three big things
which must be done soon.
It is proposed to gather complete
and accurate data and statistics on
/ every man who has enlisted in any
branch of the army or navy from this
county.
So far as possible it will be gathered
from the men themselves or their
families. Where 1t Is not available
from these sources 1t will be sought
from the recruiting officers.
MUST HAVE MONEY.
Money must be raised to maintain
this division Just the same as there is
money needed to maintain the military
side of It which includes the coopera.
tive ennipment of Hospital Unit r or
ganized at Fairfield.
The two funds must be kept separ-
ate. 1t will not do to use so much
money for one that there will be moth
ing left for the other. Both will be
ever existing problems so long as the
war continues and they must be met.
EFFECT ORGANIZATION.
An organization must be effected.
While Ottumwa Red Cross workers
have realized from the first that CIV
ilian relief department was lust as nee
essary as any other branch Of the
work yet they have delayed taking
any definite action until Mr.. Stillman
was able to be here.
Now the plans will proceed. There
must be a chairman, vice chairman and
other officers OF the civilian division.
There are committees to be named
and organized and volunteers must be
secured for the actual case WORK, the
house to house visiting and confer
ences with those in need and trouble
and distress. II the volunteer plan
does not work the CONSUMPTION Of some
OF the best social workers will be re-
sorted to in an effort to bring this
proposition up to its highest stage OF
efficiency.
All Of this must come Immediately
for before many more weeks Ottum-
wa Will be seeing her first large con-
tingent of soldiers march away and
more and more will follow as the
months go by.