The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-05-21
Community Chests
"Be Good Neighbor" Adopted Slogan in Cleve- land Campaign Waterbury Studies Set-Up in Various Municipalities Installment on
 Interesting Proposal
Interesting Proposal.

to build up weak factors in the community life. The slogan of the movement was, 'Be Good Neigh bor," much as the popular slogan, "Be a Good Scout and Help the Boy Scouts"
 At the end of 1896, twenty-three years later there were only nine cities of 100000 population and over in the United States which did not have community chest financing, and only 16 additional cities between 50,000 and 100000 population without chests. During the depression of 1929-1936 the chests increased about one-third.
 Functions
 The two chief functions of a community chest, comprised of a cooperative organization of citi- zens and social welfare agencies, is to raise each year funds to promote the social welfare and health, by coordinating existing programs and problems of social needs, to prevent duplication, conducting research, promoting group thinking, planning, admin istering common services, improv- ing social standards and develop ing public understanding through educational publicity; such as newspapers, radio, motion pie lures, billboards and posters, school essay contests, chests par ties and other mediums calculated to support and aid private and public social work. An idea of chest party may be obtained by one held in Bridgeport, when nearly 2,000 people one stormy winter night, turning out to at tend a merchants and manufac- turers' Community Chest party at Central high school.
 The groups affiliated with the Community Chest in Bridgeport are: Associated Charities, Boy Scouts, Boys Club. Christian Union, Bridgeport Hospital, Society for Mental Hygiene, Cath olic Charitable Bureau, Family Welfare Society, Girl Scouts, Girls Service League, International h. stitute, Jewish Children's Society, Jewish Welfare Bureau, New Eng land Home for Little Wanderers, Salvation Army Corps No. l and No. 2, St. Vincent's Hospital, Wis., iting Nurse Association, West Side Recreation Council, Y. M. c. A. and Y. w. c. A.
 Social Planning
 Before the Community Chest campaign held annually by means of tag days, etc., each of these groups informs the Chest exec utive of the amount required to carry on another year, and these amounts are incorporated in the annual budget estimate of the Community Chest and provided for in its goal set for that year. An idea may be obtained of what such financial aid means to these groups which are such important arteries in the life current of the community.
 In the Chest program of oper- ations social planning is the mak- ing and revision of the total pro- gram, public and private of the welfare services of 8 community. Planning proposes to bring into effective unified working relation all the various forces and services that make for the social welfare of the community.
 It is the comtnunity'S effort to have 8 balanced ration" of social services, to secure the most useful proportion of the varied welfare services that community resources make possible.
 In the City of Cleveland some concrete results of such social planning illustrates how this works. That city used to have an unusually high ratio of private welfare services to those support ed by taxes, one of the changes produced through central plan ming during the depression was the agreement of the county of- ficials to make payments towards the bed care of indigent patients admitted to private hospitals. This policy, approved by the voters each year as they authorize Spe- cial county levies to include well fare and relief, has reduced the Community Funds burden of hos- pital support by more than fifty per cent, and has freed its re- sources for other needed services which tax funds are not available to support.
 Some time ago the local com . mittee invided Allen T. Burns, ex- ecutive vice. president of the New York Community Chests and Councils, Inc, and Stillman F. Westbrook,. its president, to visit At the meeting which was attended by a group of local representative men. the question of community chest for Water bury was discussed, but no deci- sion was arrived at.