Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-10-05
PLAN COMMUNITY
A SERVICE HERE
V. Il. RANDALL HERE LOOKING
INTO POSSIBILITIES FOR COM
MUNITY WORK IN ALMA.

question of forming a Community
Service organization for the purpose
of developing a city-wide program
of community recreation.
Last summer Mr.. Alex Anderson
of the National Community Service
body, spent his vacation with Alma
friends and the expression of inter
est at that time was such that V. p
Randall, of Detroit, field representa-
tive for this part of the country, is
now in the city discussing the work
with the local leaders. 1t is expected
that a meeting of all those interest
ed will be held at an early date al
which time the matter will be fully
considered and definite action taken
The work Of the national organ
ization started about twenty years
ago when the Playground and Re
creation Association was formed. Its
work was the promoting of interest
in summer Fairgrounds for children,
and the spread of the playground
movement in America is due almost
entirely to the educational work done
by this organization.
During the past few years the
great need for more adequate OPP
portunities for recreation for adults
as we'll as for children came to be
clearly seen and many playground or
CARNATIONS endeavored to extend
their work This led to the receipt
by the national organization of an
ever increasing number of requests
for information, advice and leader
ship in the larger field of work and
it was forced to expand. Today,
Community Service, Incorporated, as
it is now called, is rendering valu-
able aid to hundreds of cities in their
work of meeting certain present day
needs.
Contrary to the general impress
sion," said Mr.. Randall, in discussing
the work, Community Service in
any community is not so much new
organization as it is a getting to-
gether of the existing groups to do
in big community way number Of
things related to recreation and 9TH
er leisure time activities. 1t never
proposes that any organization shall
give up what it is doing but it does
propose that many things which are
done in limited, fractional or in
effectual way be done in a more eff
cient way through the cooperation
of all groups interested.
Holiday celebrations lend them
selves especially to cooperative
community effort When the many
organizations of town get together
several times in a year to put on a
community Christmas tree, a May
Day festival, a Thanksgiving service
a community picnic on Labor Day,
or any Of the many other similar
affairs, there is built up a degree of
civic unity and good will that can
never be developed where these
things are done by any one organiza-
ton no matter how excellent it may
be-
"Some real plan of community
athletics, not of the professional
commercial type that merely pro-
notes spectatorship and conversa-
ton, but of the amateur type that
promotes active participation on the
part Of large number of people in
any good sport from tennis to horse
shoe pitching, and which provides a
place for the least skilled player to
take part, is needed in every city.
The cost is very little and the value
physical and social, is very great.
but athletics isn't the only kind
of recreation. One of the most pop
ular recreational activities in this
country today is community singing.
When properly handled cities of the
type Of Alma will have from ten to
twenty per cent of the population
out every week during the summer
to big sings in the parks. These af-
ford opportunities for all local mu-
steal organizations Of every sort to
contribute to the success of the
gatherings and the value to the city
as whole is often much greater
than is the benefit derived from ex-
pensive entertainments. There is
also the gain in civic spirit that
comes from affairs that are by the
people as we'll as for them.
Amateur dramatics, in which re-
ligious drama plays a large part in
many cities, is also of great interest
and value from a recreational stand
point. Musical festivals, pageants,
story telling and story dramatization
programs for children, the develop
ment of public forums and debating
clubs, the organization Of neighbor-
hood recreation centers for adults in
public schools, and many other ac-
tivities having some direct bearing
on the question of recreation are
promoted in this big community way
"The national organization simply
serves in an advisory capacity, ex-
ercising no authority or control over
local groups. 1t supplies trained
experienced workers at cost, and
gives free much valuable help repre-
senting an outlay of from $1,000 to
$4,000 annually to each city.
But the local program rests en-.