Evening star., 1949-11-20
by Miriom Gutenberg

By Miriom Gutenberg
With little money from the Dis
trict but a lot Of help from the
community, a livable children's
shelter is growing out Of buildings
formerly labeled "the black hole
of Calcutta" and a "disgraceful
reflection on the District"
Long a focal point of criticism
the buildings now house the In
dustrial Home School annex, the
one public institution where the
District can send its younger
homeless children.
The buildings haven't got any
newer since the days when the
Receiving Home for Children was
quartered there but they look q
lot different.
Scores Of community organiza-
tions and individuals have pitched
in to make that difference.
Said Miss Winifred Thompson
who is in charge of the annex
MY attitude was that we were
going to change this place in spite
of no funds"
I'VE took over the buildings in
July, 1948, as they were left by
the Receiving Home" she re-
called. They'd known for a yeal
they were going to move and they
thought the buildings would be
abandoned. so there had been nc
improvements.
1.-THE walls were unpainted
None Of the windows had putty
in them. The panes were held ir
with nails and tacks. When We
started to wash the windows, the
panes fell out.
Half the windows in Shaw
Hall were broken or out alto.
gether. The boys had gougee
holes in the plaster. The floor.
were of cement, the windows hae
heavy bars on them and there
were no screens. Lincoln build.
ing had been condemned and de-
clared unsafe"
Money for Few Repairs.
There was money enough only
to make a few repairs. To com.
plicate the picture, the number
| of children in the annex increased
from 38 to 80 in six weeks anc
the Receiving Home didn't actu'
ally move out its children unit
February. 1949.
Meanwhile, Miss Thompson
started making speeches. Sh'
talked to mothers rg'oups, parent
teacher associations. clubs ant
civic groups. She invited them t.
come out and take look.
In the annex today, the asphalt
tile on the floors, drapes at thu
windows, almost all the furnish.
ings. the athletic equipment, 8
third of the clothing, a library
Of books, television sets, radio
phonograph, records and training
Aims are there because com.
munity groups did take a look.
TaRe the Macarthur Boulevard
Citizens Association. The citi.
zens, Miss Thompson recalled
wanted to get rid Of those build
ings. They even went to Con-
gress about 1t. Today, most o1
the members of the association
are helping in one way or another
and the association has agreed tt
landscape the grounds with flow.
ers and shrubs.
One association member re-
Gently sent over II tickets for thu
children to go to magician''
show. Several of them got to.
gether to buy a set Of swings. The
association arranged for a boa'
club in the vicinity to donate the
piano.
Miss Thompson heard that
day nursery was going out o.
business and all its equipment
would be sold for $125. The mex
day, speaking to the mothers
class at Chevy Chase Presbyterian
Church, she casually mentioned
it." A few days later, the mothers
called to say they would foot the
bill. Out of that deal came foul
child-size tables, 80 little chairs
pictures and partitions on stands
Two Cribs Provided!
She now has several groups she
can call on in an emergency. Ont
day when the nursery had Il
children and equipment for only
IL, she called one of these groups
I to ask if any Of the members hao
a crib she didn't need. Two cribs
and q baby carriage were prompt
fly provided.
There was not public money tx
replace the concrete floors so
when groups got interested, Mis-.
Thompson suggested flooring as 9
project. That's why the floors ol
Shaw Hall now have asphalt tile
AS a result of other such "sugges-
tions," the Civitan Club ha.
agreed to take over the boys play
room as q project, group OF sor.
ority girls put up the money tt
install Masonite on the walls ol
the childrenS playroom anf Z