Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-15
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
At Least One institution In Which
Volunteer Help Has Been an un-
qualified Success, a Fresh Air
Hospital for Crippled
Children
BY SARAH u. LOWRlE

BY SARAH u. LOWRlE
T AM always interested in philanhrorc
i organizations that solve the problem OF
volunteer help in the real technical care OF
patients or of their hencticiarics. wei or III.
The tendency of most of our institutions
is to uso the volunteers to raise money ana
to use the paid experts to spend it, thlnk
expert, paid workers in philanthropy are
needed. but too complete substitution OF
them for volunteers turns the interest ms
we'll rs the authority over ~ body or
workers who are often temporary in their
relationship with the institution and who
sometimes arc more intent on making i've
lihood than on the success of the enterprise.
That IS. they give n good mpaslIr" W Serv-
i"r Tor their salaries without doubt but they
have Il business relationship toward III" or
ganizatiOn rather than one Of sentiment.
The personal element gets neglected for tho
practical business regime, and rod tar". is
the result and kind Of bureaucracy which
IS both expensive and dull.
Nov. volunteer workers arc bother to
trained experts. They ask questions,
they break rules they take n long while TO
accomplish n very little. they are not busi-
nesslikp and they are too interested or not
interested enough Four experts rnn do
the work Of ten volunteers. and 1t takes at
least one expert to train ten r0.untnrrS.
So as getting volunteers Is not always easy.
most institutions shirh that side of receiving
help and add to their yearly lslhGc' by hir.
ing help in it's place most. hu' not all.
| have just heard of one organization ran
by Boston people up on an island of the
coast from Marblehrad that turns volunteer
help to splendid account and does as ulurh
II not more for the volunteers as 1t gets
them to do for its organization
A BOUT forty years ago or more some
"A Massachusetts men and women started
fresh air hospital for babies and little chill
dr"n suffering from diseases that cir and
sunlight, sea SreezeS and nourishins food
with hospital care would go long way
toward curing. Children suffering from
7. B. bones and ulcers. from ricketts, and
from III" effects of what is now known to
be infantlc paralysis were tho special type
of patients for which the hospital on the
little island was designed 10 shelter and
benefit.
The is sland--whch is called tho Chilrcn's
Island III those parts. though whether
Chartcd as such on the maps do not know ~
is about quarter of mile long and with.
out n tree on its whole, narrow "trip of rock
and sand. Two boats ply between the laNd
and its little harbor. and til" doctors from
the nearby towns come Out once n week to
visit the patients in It's ward. During tho
rest Of the time about 100 children arc "a"n'
for in four wards by eight expert attendants
md fourteen volunteers. with perhaps n
half dozen mon or women on I'll" DOMESTIC
force 70 attend 70 cleaning and cooking and
the boats.
The experts are two trained nurses and
two oCcupatiOnal therapy Instructors
secretary and superintendent and a diet
kitchen supervisor.
The volunteers arc girls of about twenty or
twenty one years of age, collcg" girls Tor
the most part. some X-dcbutantcS. some
graduates from boarding srhoolSshat are just
looming out.
THESE volunteers are chosen from n list
J. of perhaps 200 applicants TO serve three
weeks in daily shifts Of seven. for about
eight hours each shift. They ar" housed in
n house built expressly for them and como
in relays Of fourteen from June to the middle
Of SeptembNr As many NOR" apply than
can b" utilized. a very careful selection Is
possible; and as tho former volunteers do
the recruiting for the coming season Of their
own enthusiastic accord. Mrs. Frank
CrOwnin~hipld. who is the chairman Of that
very important adjunct of til" hc ,pitnl COM
nittec. has little or no trouble in filling UP
the %On or 50 vacancies each season
The volunteers supply th"ir own white
dresses and pay for their laundry: their
board and lodging and transportation 70 and
from the mainland during their hotrs of
are free, !. ., provided by tho organization
funds.
A GIRL thai know very well who hns
"A Just returned from her weeks on the
island stopped in to tell N" about it today.
She locked very well and struck me as more
keenly alert to the practicaIity and tue in
fcrp,t Of the proposition than she has been
in most things that come her rather foru-
nate way. The last time thar | had soon
her She was holding tn" Daisy Chain for
rro Senior Class at NnSsur /" march
-IrniIrh She was very pretty then, bat
she was even prettier this morning, prctticr
and more interesting.
Sac gave me her days schedule for tho
morning and afternoon shifts. Her ward
had twenty rather i'll children. boys and
.ir'S. most Of them cripIles VIII" had to be
lifted. all Of them babies in wears or in
'h"lplo&sncs2.
Morning schedule
G:4I--Gr TO ward. get tho children
washed. ETC.. dressed and sitting up in bed
ready for trays.
T:l:i.- Serv" their breakfasts.
:Il--Grt beds ready out -of-doo and
carry children ont and settle them.
S-NOluntCrrS' Srraktnst.
children
l0-Orangcs prepared and given to chill
drrn.
lu :30--Childrcn taken down to tho bench
in curt and nuj on the blankets on tn"
sand and those that ar" able, bHthcd in
the surf or helped to wade, or helped 10
play in tnC sand
I2-l{cturn to lawn in front Of ward {;
dm""r " children.
Afternoon schedule:
10 Rest hour (dIvldmg with frs
shift.
9-Amvsn children.
lift children back to ward ana c"'
them ready ior supper.
;I-SUppcr for children.
:I:3O-Qui"t ! plays, writing and stories.
& to & 30 Get children TO bed and qlii"ted
down.