The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-05-23

Finally, help can be given in OBJ
tanning positions for the children af
ter their training is finished.
AS 1 see it, the function of Ro-
tary Club in movements of this kind
is to cooperate with other agencies,
official or unofficial, engaged in work
of this kind. In fact, think that as a
general proposition service clubs
should cooperate with existing agen-
cies and supplement their work. In
cases where Rotary Clubs initiate a
piece of civic work, it should be done
as demonstration, with view of in
teresting the proper authorities who
are responsible for the welfare of the
community. This, believe, should
be the function of non-official organ
izations.
May | illustrate the point | have in
mind by referring to the situation in
Baltimore City where the work among
crippled children has developed along
normal lines, with a proper balance
between official and unofficial agen
cies. Two years ago | had the privi-
! lege of serving as chairman of the
Boys Work Committee of the Balti-
more Rotary Club. This committee
holds weekly luncheon meeting in
addition to the regular club luncheon
and there are in attendance from 25
to 35 men. One of the detectives. of
the committee is to aid all physically
handicapped children and through
two subcommittee definition. was
made and put into practice of the
part our club could play in this i'm
portant and appealing community SER
vice. l may say in passing that Bal
timore is we'll provided with hospital
facilities and ample and competent
medical and surgical services. So it
was not necessary for our club to
concern itself with that portion of
the program.
One subcommittee was concerned
with efforts to secure adequate edu-
cational facilities, and the other sub
committee endeavored to find posi-
lions for physically handicapped
boys. For number of years the
Crippled Children's League had been
doing excellent work in securing
needed appliances used in the treat
ment of crippled children, and in pro-
viding recreational features. About
the time the club became actively in
terested in this work, The Crippled
Children'sLeag ue, in order to better
meet the demands upon it, expanded
into the Maryland League for Grip
pied Children, with a State wide pro-
gram. DR.. VIM. S. Baer, the famous
orthopedic surgeon, was named Presl-
dent. Two of the members of our
Boys Work Committee were elected
to the Board of Directors, so our club
has had an active participation in the
development of the work.
Subsequently, the Baltimore City
Department of Education assigned a
school building especially for the edu-
cation of crippled children. In
sufficient bus facilities were provided
and our club succeeded in securing
adequate transportation. Many con-
ferences were held with the school
officials relative to the construction
of a suitable building for the educa-
ton of crippled children. The Legis-
lature, at it's last session, authorized
a bond issue for the construction of
school buildings in Baltimore City, a
part of which | understand will be
used for the construction of special
building for the education Of crippled
children. So the problem of education
of physically handicapped children in
Baltimore seems in a fair way of So
luton.
Up to this point in the program,
you will see that our club functioned
in cooperation with existing agencies
and certainly was able to accomplish
far more than if we had attempted
alone program of this magnitude
and this experience is recited simply
to emphasize that point.
But now we come to the place
where the Rotary Club supplemented
the work of other agencies. A sur
vey made by the Maryland League
for Crippled Children developed the
fact that there were a number of
children in the City, who because of
their condition, principally because
they were bed-ridden, were unable to
attend school. The public school au-
thorities were unable to send teach
ers to the homes of these children so
the Rotary Club undertook to supply
! this service. We employed Goucher
! College students, who were taking
the teachers training course, and who
in addition were interested in the
sociological aspect of the problem, to
go to the homes of some of these
children who could not go to school,
and teach them the elements of an
education. We found many children,