MS-009

MS-9

 

PIQUA AREA UNITED FUND COLLECTION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The United Fund is a volunteer organization dedicated to raising and allocating funds to a variety of charitable human service organizations.  The records of the United Fund of Piqua, Ohio were accessioned into the Flesh Public Library Archives and Special Collections on June 6, 1986.  They were donated by the Piqua Area United Fund.

 

The collection fills twelve Hollinger boxes with 197 file folders.  The record collection covers the years from 1943 until 1980.  There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

 

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

 

The Piqua Area United Fund Collection is divided into eight series:  Photographs, Minutes, Financial, Campaigns, Agencies, Special Events, National District Organizations and Scrapbooks.

 

SERIES I:  PHOTOGRAPHS

 

Photographs contains fifty file folders of unbound photographs ranging from 1950 until 1984.  Missing are photos dating from 1950 to 1958 and 1977 to 1982.  Also many of the photos are undated.  One major topic area covers annual meetings where awards were presented.  Other topics include campaigns, parades and the activities of agencies supported by the Piqua Area United Fund.  These agencies are Big Brothers, Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council, Dayton and Miami Valley Council of Camp Fire Girls, Mental Health Association of Miami County, Miami County Council for Retarded Children, Miami county Unit of the American Cancer Society, Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross, Piqua Girl Scouts Association, Piqua Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.), Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.),  Salvation Army and the United service Organizations (U.S.O.).

 

SERIES II:  MINUTES

 

Minutes contains fourteen file folders of unbound administrative records.  One of these files contains drafts of different constitutions for the Piquarea United Fund organization.  Thirteen file folders contain the organizational minutes that are records of the proceedings at various meetings of the Piqua Area United Fund.  They are, therefore, very diverse in content.  There is a complete range from 1949 until 1976.  There are occasional listings of committee members as well as some records of various financial transactions.

 

SERIES III:  FINANCIAL

 

Financial contains ten file folders of financial records of the Piqua Area United Fund ranging from 1948 to 1980.  Five of these contain assorted financial reports and audits.  The other five files deal exclusively with the fund raising campaigns from 1948 to 1971.  These are unbound accounting books that record banking and cash flow.

 

SERIES IV:  CAMPAIGNS

 

Campaigns contains thirty-five file folders containing records of the fund raising activities from 1943, 1948-1949, 1953-1958, and 1960-1977.  Missing are those from 1944-1947, 1950-1952, and 1959.  These files contain a large variety of documents.  Among them are records of specific names and amounts of money donated by individuals and organizations.  They contain correspondence about and records of the amounts of money allotted to particular agencies.  They contain samples of the advertising and solicitation materials.  They contain statistical data about varying successes of the campaigns, and a variety of miscellaneous campaign related materials.

 

SERIES V:  AGENCIES

 

Agencies consists of fifty files containing the records and correspondence of the different agencies supported by the Piqua Area United fund from 1955 to 1976.  They include some names and addresses of individuals involved in these organizations.  One file contains records from the Big Brother agency from 1970.  Four files contain records from the Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council agency from 1956-1972.  One file contains records from the Children’s International Summer Village, Inc. Miami County Chapter from 1961-1964.  One contains records from the Civil Defense agency from 1958-1959 and 1961.  One contains records from the Dayton and Miami Valley Council of Camp Fire Girls from 1958-1974.   One contains records from the Dayton Boys’ Club 1965-1967.  One contains records from the Family and Children’s Service Association of Miami County 1966-1967 and 1969.  Three contain records from the Miami County Council for Retarded Children from 1958-1965 and 1967-1974.  One contains records from the Miami County Society for Crippled Children and Adults from 1956, 1963, 1969, and 1972-1973. One contains records from the Miami County Tuberculosis and Health Association from 1957-1958, 1964, 1968, and 1970.  Five contain records from the Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society from 1956-1971.  One contains records from the Miami Valley Heart Association, Miami County Branch from 1958, 1961, 1964-1965, 1969, and 1973.  One contains records from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Miami Valley Chapter from 1970-1972. One contains records from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Miami County Chapter 1956.  Three contain records from the Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross from 1957-1973.  One contains records from the Piqua Child Development Center Inc.  from 1970-1971.  Three contain records from the Piqua Girl Scouts Association from 1955-1973.  Four contain records from the Piqua Y.M.C.A. from 1956-1967, 1969-1972, and 1975.  Six contain records from the Piqua Y.W.C.A. from 1956 and 1958-1974.  One contains records from the Rehabilitation Center for Brain Injured Children from 1975.  Three contain records from the Salvation Army from 1954-1972 and 1975.  Four contain records from the U.S.O. from 1965-1976.

 

SERIES VI:  SPECIAL EVENTS

 

Special Events contains three files of special promotional and public service events sponsored by or for the benefit of the Piqua Area United Fund organization.  One file contains records of a recycling project for glass, paper and other items during 1972.  Two files contain records from the Miami County Home Show 1963-1972.  This is an event that is held annually at the Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio.

 

SERIES VII:  NATIONAL AND DISTRICT ORGANIZATIONS

 

This series contains fourteen files of various national, state and district organizations to whom the Piqua Area United Fund related for one purpose or another from 1956-1973 and 1975.  Nine of these contain records from the United Fund’s national office and from district or proximally related United Fund agencies such as Troy and Sidney, Ohio.  Five contain records from the Ohio Citizen’s Council 1958-1973.  This agency served the Piqua Area United Fund by providing it with trained and experienced administrative staff in exchange for financial remuneration.

 

SERIES VIII:  SCRAPBOOKS

 

This series consists of twenty files containing the contents of various scrapbooks compiled by the organization for the years 1949, 1955-1958 and 1961-1975.  The bulk of this series is photo copies of newspaper articles about all facets of the life of Piqua Area United Fund.

 

BACKGROUND HISTORY

OF

THE PIQUA AREA UNITED FUND

 

International and National Scale

 

The United Fund is a charitable organization that raises funds from private contributions and distributes them to a variety of human services charities.  The earliest known predecessor of this concept was established in 1863 n Liverpool, England with the funding of the Central Relief Society.  This society collected contributions and distributed them to various charities.[1]  A similar program was adopted in London in 1869 known as the London Charity Organization Society (C.O.S.).  The organization was established to provide a central registry, to prevent duplication of charitable services and to prevent fraud.[2] 

 

While these early attempts were being made to establish centralized charitable organizations in England, the United States was beginning to establish many charities on its own.  Between 1870 and 1919 ninety-seven national welfare agencies were organized.[3]  The first attempt at organizing these charities on a national level began in 1874 with the first meeting of The Conference of the Board of Public Charities.[4]  The first attempt to organize charities on a state wide level was made in 1881 when the State Conference of Charities and Corrections held its first meeting in Wisconsin.[5]

 

By 1883 twenty-five local charities had been established across the nation under the name Charity Organization Society (C.O.S.).  The concept that had been attempted in England, with one agency collecting funds and distributing them to other agencies, was first employed by a C.O.S. in Denver, Colorado in 1887.  At that time an agency founded by five clergy persons of various Protestant, Catholic and Jewish denominations raised funds for the support of twenty-two others.[6]  This C.O.S. adopted the unofficial name of Associated Charities; a name used later by many charities with a similar objective.  Many of these organizations functioned largely as a community planning group and were greatly involved in family services.

 

The first lasting organization to function in the manner established by the Denver Associated charities was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1913.[7]  This organization adopted the name Community Chest, a name that was to be used over the next thirty-six years.

 

In 1949 the concept of United Fund, developed in Detroit, Michigan, gained wide acceptance.[8]  This concept elaborated upon the Community Chest organization by establishing state and national chapters that set guidelines for distribution and control of local money in order to avoid having funds controlled by private interests.

 

Local Scale

 

The Piquarea United Fund was preceded by a variety of charitable organizations.  During the settlement period of Piqua, charity and its distribution was maintained largely by the churches.  It was not until 1862 that the first major secular charitable organization, the Soldier’s Aid Society, was established for the purpose of providing war relief to the soldiers and families of the Civil War.[9] 

 

After the Civil War the work of charity was once again left to the hands of churches until 1885.  In that year the Ladies Aid Society was established in an effort to assist the poor who were not being reached by the churches. [10]  Between 1892 and 1893 the Ladies Aid Society adopted the name, Associated Charities.[11]  They functioned under this name until the Great Depression; when in 1933, the closed down because of a lack of funding.[12]  After this federal agencies intervened taking over much of the work of charity.

On October 25, 1943 Piqua was able once again to resume its charitable work by participation in the nationwide World War II Fund drive.  “Under the general chairmanship of Ralph Louis, the drive of $27,307 for U.S.O. and other National War Fund agencies starts in Piqua and northern Miami County with a dinner at 6:30 o’clock at the First Presbyterian church.”[13]  The Campaign lasted from October 25 to November 1, but when contributions were submitted “. . . from all but one industrial plant . . .” they were unsuccessful in achieving their goal by $4,760.[14]

 

In 1945, after World War II, Piqua Chamber of Commerce began plans to establish its own new secular charitable organization by surveying various Community Chests throughout the eastern and Midwestern United States in an effort to learn how to organize and administrate such an operation.  The project was lead by H. W. Sims, President of the Piqua Chamber of Commerce and William M. Corry, Managing Director.[15]  Although they had planned to begin operating in 1946, their first Community Chest campaign was held in 1947 under the name of the Community Welfare Federation of Piquarea its first chairman being Louis G. Peffer.[16]  The goal of the campaign was “. . . [$] 42,235 with five welfare and character-building agencies of the city to receive funds secured in the city-wide solicitation.  They are Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Salvation Army, Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A.”[17]  According to the Piqua Daily Call the Community Welfare Federation had a constitution that established five objectives for itself:

 

1. To promote the social welfare of Piquarea by encouraging a cooperation and community planning among the citizens of Piquarea and among its civic health, recreational and welfare agencies and departments of government.
2. To promote high standards of economy and efficiency in all agencies, individually and collectively.  To prevent waste and duplication of effort.
3. To advise in the undertaking of new work by existing agencies and departments of government and te [the] formation of new agencies and departments.
4. To promote the proper development and support of all public and private agencies dealing with social problems.
5. To create and continue permanently a fund known as the Community Chest, to be collected cooperatively through voluntary subscriptions, as well as by gifts, bequests and other legal means, which fund shall be periodically disbursed by the corporation, pursuant to its by-laws [bylaws], for the maintenance of health and welfare services.[18]

 

In June of 1949 they adopted the name, Community Chest, and functioned in a manner similar to other Community Chests throughout the country.[19]

 

In 1958 the Community Chest became the Piqua Area United Fund, Inc.[20]  The Community Chest had not been working very well; they had not reached their campaign goal since 1951.  The community’s business and industrial leaders strongly supported switching to a United Fund concept that would combine the city’s numerous fund drives.[21]  It seemed that Piqua was being bombarded by a variety of fund raising campaigns each detracting from the other.  A consolidation of efforts seemed to be the answer to the problem.  In May of 1958 the Cancer society, Campfire Girls and the Red Cross joined in the United Fund adding to the six agencies that had already been participating in the fund:  Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Salvation Army, Mental Health Association, Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A.[22]

 

As of 1987 the Piqua Area United Fund continues as the largest fund raising organization in the northern section of Miami County.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Chamber of Commerce collection, MS-6, Flesh Public Library, Minutes       1945

 

Miami Helmet, Piqua, Ohio:  April 23, 1885; April 30, 1891; April 19 1894;

April 25, 1933

 

People and Events:  A History of the United Way, Atlanta:  Case-Hoyt, 1977

 

Piqua Daily Call, Piqua, Ohio:  April 23, 1885; October 25, 1943;

November 11, 1943; May 12, 1947; January 1958; May 17, 1958

 

Rayner, John A.  The First Century of Piqua, Ohio, Piqua:  Magee Bros. Co.

1967

 

CONTAINER LISTING

 

SERIES I:  PHOTOGRAPHS

 

BOX 1

 

File

          1        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1959

          2        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1960

          3        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1961

          4        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1962

          5        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1963

          6        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1964

          7        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1965

          8        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1966

          9        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1967

          10      Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1968

          11      Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1969

          12      Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1970

          13      Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1971

 

BOX 2

 

File

          1        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1972

          2        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1973

          3        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1974

          4        Photographs:  Dinner Honoring Irene Ditmer – 1974

          5        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1975

          6        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1976

          7        Photographs:  Annual Meeting Awards – 1984

 

BOX 3

 

File

          1        Photographs:  Campaign – 1950

          2        Photographs:  Campaign – 1965

          3        Photographs:  Campaign – 1966

          4        Photographs:  Campaign – 1967

          5        Photographs:  Campaign – 1968

          6        Photographs:  Campaign – 1969

          7        Photographs:  Campaign – 1970

          8        Photographs:  Campaign – 1971

          9        Photographs:  Campaign – 1972

          10      Photographs:  Campaign – 1973

          11      Photographs:  Campaign – 1974

          12      Photographs:  Campaign – 1975

          13      Photographs:  Campaign – 1983

          14      Photographs:  Campaign – undated

          15      Photographs:  Parade – 1962

          16      Photographs:  Parade – 1965

          17      Photographs:  Parade – 1966

          18      Photographs:  Big Brothers

          19      Photographs:  Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council

          20      Photographs:  Dayton and Miami Valley Council of Camp Fire Girls

          21      Photographs:  Mental Health Association of Miami County

          22      Photographs:  Miami County Council for Retarded Children

          23      Photographs:  Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society

          24      Photographs:  Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross

          25      Photographs:  Piqua Girl Scouts Association

          26      Photographs:  Piqua Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)

          27      Photographs:  Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA)

          28      Photographs:  Salvation Army

          29      Photographs:  United Service Organizations (USO)

          30      Photographs:  Unidentified Agencies

 

SERIES II:  MINUTES

 

BOX 4

 

File

          1        Constitution – 1949

          2        Minutes – 1949-1950

          3        Minutes – 1951-1952

          4        Minutes – 1953-1954

          5        Minutes – 1955-1957

          6        Minutes – 1958

          7        Minutes – 1959

          8        Minutes – 1960-1961

          9        Minutes – 1962-1963

          10      Minutes – 1964-1966

          11      Minutes – 1967-1968

          12      Minutes – 1969-1970

          13      Minutes – 1971-1973

          14      Minutes – 1974-1976

 

BOX 5

 

File

          1        Annual Meeting Reports – 1952-1954, 1957, 1959-1981

 

SERIES III:  FINANCIAL

 

BOX 5

 

File

          2        Financial – 1949-1958, 1960-1962

          3        Financial – 1964-1967, 1969-1970

          4        Financial – 1971-1973

          5        Financial – 1974-1975

          6        Financial – 1976-1980

          7        Accounting Books – 1948-1950

          8        Accounting Books – 1951-1959

          9        Accounting Books – 1961-1964

          10      Accounting Books – 1965-1971

 

BOX 6

 

File

          1        Accounting Books – 1967-1969

 

SERIES IV:  CAMPAIGNS

 

BOX 6

 

File

          2        Campaign – 1943

          3        Campaign – 1947-1948

          4        Campaign – 1949

          5        Campaign – 1949

          6        Campaign – 1949

          7        Campaign – 1953

          8        Campaign – 1954

          9        Campaign – 1955

          10      Campaign – 1956

          11      Campaign – 1957

          12      Campaign – 1958

          13      Campaign – 1960

          14      Campaign – 1961

          15      Campaign – 1962

          16      Campaign – 1963

          17      Campaign – 1964

          18      Campaign – 1965

          19      Campaign – 1966

          20      Campaign – 1967

 

BOX 7

 

File

          1        Campaign – 1968 (January-September)

          2        Campaign – 1968 (October-December)

          3        Campaign – 1969

          4        Campaign – 1970

          5        Campaign – 1970

          6        Campaign – 1971

          7        Campaign – 1972

          8        Campaign – 1973

          9        Campaign – 1973

          10      Campaign – 1974

 

BOX 8

 

File

          1        Campaign – 1975

          2        Campaign – 1975

          3        Campaign – 1976

          4        Campaign – 1976

          5        Campaign – 1977

 

SERIES V:  AGENCIES

 

BOX 8

 

File

          6        Big Brother – 1970

          7        Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council – 1959-1962

          8        Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council – 1963-1968

          9        Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council – 1969-1970

          10      Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council – 1971-1972

          11      Children’s International Summer Village, Inc. Miami County Chapter – 1961-1964

          12      Civil Defense – 1958-1959, 1961

          13      Dayton & Miami Valley Council of Camp Fire Girls – 1958-1974

          14      Dayton Boys’ Club – 1965-1967

          15      Family & Children’s Service association of Miami County – 1966-1967, 1969

          16      Mental Health Association of Miami County – 1955-1961

          17      Mental Health Association of Miami County –  1962-1964

          18      Mental Health Association of Miami County – 1965, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975

          19      Miami County Council for Retarded Children – 1958-1965, 1967-1974

 

BOX 9

 

File

          1        Miami County Society for Crippled Children and Adults – 1956, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1972-1973

          2        Miami County Tuberculosis & Health Association – 1957-1958, 1964, 1968, 1970

          3        Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society – 1956-1960

          4        Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society – 1961-1964

          5        Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society – 1965-1967

          6        Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society – 1968-1969

          7        Miami County Unit of the American Cancer Society – 1970-1971

          8        Miami Valley Heart Association, Miami County Branch – 1958, 1961, 1964-1965, 1969, 1973

          9        Multiple Sclerosis Society, Miami Valley Chapter – 1970-1972

          10      National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Miami County Chapter – 1956

          11      Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross – 1957-1961

          12      Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross – 1962-1970

          13      Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross – 1971-1973

          14      Piqua Child Development Center, Inc. – 1970-1971

          15      Piqua Girl Scouts Association – 1955-1962

          16      Piqua Girl Scouts Association – 1963-1968

          17      Piqua Girl Scouts Association – 1969-1973

 

BOX 10

 

File

          1        Piqua Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) – 1956-1961

          2        Piqua Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) – 1962

          3        Piqua Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) – 1963-1964

          4        Piqua Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) – 1965-1967, 1969-1972, 1975

          5        Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – 1956, 1958-1960

          6        Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – 1961-1965

          7        Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – 1966-1968

          8        Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – 1969

          9        Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – 1970-1971

          10      Piqua Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – 1972-1974

          11      Rehabilitation Center for Brain Injured Children – 1975

          12      Salvation Army – 1954-1959

          13      Salvation Army – 1960-1965

          14      Salvation Army – 1966-1972, 1975

 

BOX 11

 

File

          1        United Service Organizations (USO) – 1965-1966

          2        United Service Organizations (USO) – 1967-1970

          3        United Service Organizations (USO) – 1971-1972

          4        United Service Organizations (USO) – 1973-1974

          5        United Service Organizations (USO) – 1975-1976

 

SERIES VI:  SPECIAL EVENTS

 

BOX 11 – continued

 

File

          6        Recycling – 1972

          7        Miami County Home Show – 1963-1966

          8        Miami County Home Show – 1967-1972

 

SERIES VII:  NATIONAL AND DISTRICT ORGANIZATIONS

 

BOX 11 – continued

 

File

          9        National and District – 1956

          10      National and District – 1957

          11      National and District – 1958

          12      National and District – 1959-1969

          13      National and District – 1970

          14      National and District – 1971

          15      National and District – 1972 (January-November)

          16      National and District – 1972 (December)

          17      National and District – 1973, 1975

 

BOX 12

 

File

          1        Ohio Citizen’s Council – 1958-1959

          2        Ohio Citizen’s Council – 1960-1961

          3        Ohio Citizen’s Council – 1962-1968

          4        Ohio Citizen’s Council – 1969-1972

          5        Ohio Citizen’s Council – 1973

 

SERIES VIII

 

BOX 12 - continued

 

File

          6        Scrapbook – 1949

          7        Scrapbook – 1955

          8        Scrapbook – 1956

          9        Scrapbook – 1957

          10      Scrapbook – 1958

          11      Scrapbook – 1961

          12      Scrapbook – 1962

          13      Scrapbook – 1963

          14      Scrapbook – 1964

          15      Scrapbook – 1965

          16      Scrapbook – 1966

          17      Scrapbook – 1967

          18      Scrapbook – 1968

          19      Scrapbook – 1969

          20      Scrapbook – 1970

          21      Scrapbook – 1971

          22      Scrapbook – 1972

          23      Scrapbook – 1973

          24      Scrapbook – 1974

          25      Scrapbook – 1975

          26      Scrapbook – undated