Evening star., 1937-11-19

This Is the fifteenth OF
series OF articles about the people
charged NTH the duty of handling
the money Which each year Is
donated to the Community Chest.
THE portion Of Community Chest
that is used to keep needy
school children supplied with
4 shoes will have to be stretched
to the utmost this year, according
to Mrs. Walter B. Fry. president of
the D. c. Congress of Parent Teacher
Associations, for never before has there
been so great need for this service.
During the first two weeks Of No
vember, almost 300 children-some Of
them literally barefoot-were given
shoes. This is over three times as
many children as needed shoes during
the entire month Of November last
year
I'VE like to give each child a new
pair and mended pair of shoes" "
said Mrs. Fry, but now we are only
able to give them mended shoes
AS president Of an organization of
$4,000 parents and school teachers,
the management Of the shoe and over
Shoe fund comes under Mrs. Fry's con-
troll, but she gives chief credit for its
wise and thrifty use to the Student
Aid Committee.
Every Wednesday, the chairman of
this committee opens the student aid
room, located in the Parkview school,
to throng of ragged children whose
need for help is not only made by
their appearance, but has also been
checked by a careful investigation of
their families economic conditions
The room is kept open all day and
each child is carefully outhtted with
minimum supply of the clothing he
needs most
The investigation of need, the re-
pairing Of clothing, the fitting of the
children-in fact, all the relief work
Of the Parent-Teachers' Association,
is done by its own volunteer members.
Mrs. Fry herself. although she goes
to the office every day and works
as hard as any well-paid business ex-
ecutive, draws no salary.
Mrs. Fry has been active in parent
teacher work for the last Is years She
entered the organization rather cas-
ually when her youngest boy came
home from first grade one day with
a card which he begged her to sign
so that she would have a chance to
become a lucky lady" The card
turned out to be membership card
of the PIT. A. and announced that
from the new membership cards re-
turned at that time, one woman would
be chosen as one of the delegates to
PIT. A. convention. Mrs. Fry's
name was the one drawn, though
whether that made her lucky lady"
she still isn't quite sure.
Although the Parent Teacher As
sociation has many branches of work
other than its aid to needy students,
it was the opportunity Of helping chill
dren whose own parents could not
give them all the help they needed
that first attracted Mrs. Fry's interest
She is now familiar with all branches
Of PIT A. work and has volunteered
in variety Of its activities. but stu
dent aid work is still her pet project.
She believes that the increased needs
which the PIT. A. has found among
students this year is typical of the
experience of most Washington well
fare agencies. Families that man.
aged through the worst part of the
depression with the cast-of clothes of
friends and relatives have cleaned out
this source of help.
The same is true with many other
types of reserves, Mrs. Fry pointed out
Parents have postponed giving atten-
ton to their children's teeth, eyes,
tonsils, hoping there would be money
for such things after the depres-
sion" This. added to a prolonged
period of having less nourishing food
than they needed, has broken down
children's resistance to disease 50 that
health problems also are more Sc
rious. Families who managed to keep
off relief by the help Of more pros
porous relatives or by drawing upon
savings have reached the end of these
resources.
Even if the Chest raises its full
quota, our share will hardly be enough
to meet the shoe and rubber needs
Of our school children this year."
said Mrs. Fry. That's why so many
Of our members, as volunteer solicitors,
are working night and day to help the
Chest not only reach its quota, but go
way beyond. It's the only way we
know to prevent real suffering during
the coming year"