Evening star., 1950-04-14
UCS Unit Calls
For Merger Of
3AgencyBoards
Family and Child
Welfare Section in
Stormy Meeting

First steps toward forcing the
merger Of three Washington fam.
lily and child welfare agencies
were taken at a stormy meeting
Of the Family and Child Welfare
Section of United Community
Services yesterday.
The meeting. attended by nearly
100 section members, approved Q
recommendation of its executive
committee that would. in effect,
make Community Chest support
Of the three agencies depend upon
their joining under a single board
of directors.
The agencies affected are the
Children's Protective Association.
the Family Service Association
and the Foster Day Care and
Counseling Association.
The sections approval was
given to a resolution recommend
ing admission to 1851 Chest sup
port "a combined agency for nom
sectarian family and child serv-
ice" including the three present
agencies under the administra-
tion of combined board of di-
rectorS."
The recommendations Of the
section will be submitted to the
executive committee of UCS and
then to the UCS board of trustees
for final action.
Theron Protests.
The move was protested by Ben
jamin w. Thoron, president of the
board of the Family Service ASso-
citation. Mr. Thoron said his
agency sought some definite as
Surance that, should the recon-
mended merger prove impossible,
the agency would not be excluded
from Chest support.
Approval followed an explana-
ton by Benjamin B. Kavanaugh,
section chairman. to the
effect that the community could
expect more service for It's money
II the organizations combined.
The three agencies now are per-
forming similar services, Mr..
Kavanaugh said.
A second recommendation Of
the section executive committee
was turned down by the meeting.
1t concerned the admission OF the
Washington Home for Foundlings
which received $3l. 900 in Chest
support in l949.
According to Mr.. Kavanaugh.
an investigation by the executive
committee had shown the per
capita cost of caring for infants
awaiting adoption at the agency
came to $500 per month. He
asked that the question Of admis-
sion to Chest funds be postponed
until next November. In the in
terim, survey would have been
made to find out If foster home
care could be made available at
less cost than that provided by the
agency.
Unconditional Backing.
The recommendation was turn
ed down, and the agency was rec.
commended for Chest support un-
conditionally, after a strong p-o-
test against the recommendation
was heard from Dean Hill STAN
ley, Washington lawyer and board
of the founding home.
Mr.. Stanley said an investiga-
ton, completed last Tuesday by
the agency board. showed that
enough foster homes could not be
made available in the Washing
ton area to take over the work Of
the agency. He said the per capita
cost of the care of infants could
be reduced substantially. II the
agency operated to its capacity
Of about As infants. The present
average rate, because of limited
funds, he said. Is only is or 20.
He urged that "in fairness and
decency." the home should not be
faced with the possibility of exclu-
sion from Chest funds.
The. following agencies, to-
gether with the amount of their
Chest support for 1949. also were
recommended for support in 1851:
The American Legion Welfare
Department, $24.300; Catholic
Charities. $74.7o0; Episcopal
Home for Children. $31. 900; He
brew Home for the Aged. $4,000:
the Ionia r. Whipper Home. a new
agency for colored unmarried
mothers. to be admitted in 1851.
subject to approval Of its plan
Of operations: Jewish Social
Agency. $61 900: Legal Aid Bureau.
s11 400; st. Anna's Home for the
Aged, $4,000; st. AIMS Infant
Asylum, $78.90O; st. Joseph's
Home and School. $21 800; st.
Home and School.
100000.
S66, 500 for Travellers Aid.
Also, Salvation Army, $85 900:
5toddard Baptist Home, $4,000:
Shoe and Rubber Funds. $1,000;
Travellers Aid Society, $66. 500:
Federation Of
department Of social
Welfare, $500, and Washington
Urban League. $4,000.
Mr.. Kavanaugh said the ex-
,cutive committee considered a
of the UCS board of
rustees that the operations Of
he Episcopal Home for Children
,e combined with those of st.
Johns Orphanage. a non-Chest
lgency. He said the study con-
'inced the executive committee
hat a merger appears now TO
,e neither feasible nor desirable"
Elected at the meeting, In addi-
ion to Mr.. Kavanaugh. were Mrs.
Wayne Coy. vice chairman, and
IN executive committee composed
# Miss Dorothea Andrews, Ray