Television personality Bob Keeshan once said, “Generosity has built America. When we fail to invest in children, we have to pay the cost.” The women of the Waynesburg Social Service League have embraced and embodied that philosophy for 100 years. The organization is celebrating its centennial this year by continuing its mission to promote the physical, mental, and social well-being of the children of Central Greene School District. The group traces its 1921 genesis to well-known patron Miss Josephine Denny and 54 other local philanthropic women.
The League is a non-profit women’s organization that provides a myriad of services for economically disadvantaged children and their families. The members work with school personnel to identify the students and their specific needs. Those needs include such things as clothing, food baskets, educational materials and even Christmas presents. The educational contributions include everything from providing newly-registered kindergarten students with reading books to a couple of $1,000 scholarships for seniors to attend college or a technical school.
In addition, the group has historically provided financial support for such youth-centered activities as the Lions Club Halloween Parade, the Waynesburg Playground Summer Camp, Bowlby Library, the Greene County Historical Society, Little League sports programs, and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The women also sponsor the annual Easter Egg hunt in College Park. Throughout the years, the group has even provided dental and eye care for students, sponsored circuses, and purchased swing sets for local schools. Early on, the League actually brought in speech therapy programs to the schools before that was a regular part of educational services.
The funds are primarily raised through their extremely popular Holiday Craft Show, a golf tournament and member donations. In the past, the women have organized charity fashion shows, card parties, garage sales and bus tours to meet their goals. In the second half of the 20th century, the League’s holiday dances were the social events of the season. They were held in the old Fort Jackson Hotel, the Armory, the Elks, and the Moose Club. Popular local entertainers such as Dusty Rhodes’ Berets (1959), the Johnny Cimino Orchestra (1964), Colony (1978) and Sounds Unlimited (1987) reflected the changing musical tastes, while the immutable mission of the women endured. Another popular fund raiser many may remember was the annual sale of the cookbook the group published. According to the club’s records, the 1975 edition cost locals $2.50.
Today, the group’s current membership is 43 active women and 34 sustaining financial contributors. The officers include president, Donna Dorazio; vice president, Candy Mahle; treasurer, Shelley Younken and secretary, Lacey Gooden. According to Dorazio, “Over the past 100 years, we’ve been lucky to have generations of hard-working, caring ladies to keep this organization going.” One such lady is Fran Hardy, the League’s longest-serving member. For 47 years, she has served a variety of roles in the organization because “it just makes you feel good.” Dorazio also wished to thank the many local businesses for their generous donations throughout the years.
Those 55 altruistic women who began this tradition of compassion a century ago would undoubtably be pleased with this abiding investment in the future of Greene County’s children.