About Us

The Community Welfare Forum of Summit County was founded in 1918 as the Social Workers Club of Summit County. The first constitution stated that the object of the organization was, "…the promotion of personal acquaintance, the reading of papers, and the discussion of subjects related to the work of its members." The original constitution also said that membership was open to, "…any person engaged in social, charitable or philanthropic work."

By 1938, the updated constitution included the following object statement: The purpose of this club shall be to bring together all persons engaged in community welfare for such cooperative effort as may enable the group more effectively to fulfill its services to the community in such a way as will result in:

1. The establishment of a broader understanding of the work of the various organizations.

2. The development of a social consciousness on the part of the general public.

3. The formulation and establishment of professional ideals and standards in the community.

4. The study of community problems.

Since its inception, the organization has met once a month for a business meeting, luncheon, and presentation on a topic relating to social work. Early speakers included Edwin C. Shaw, an Akron rubber engineer, industrialist, and philanthropist, who spoke on the conditions of state welfare institutions; Lucia B. Johnson, Secretary of the Ohio Child Welfare Council, who talked on, "…a square deal for the child of the unmarried mother;" and Oscar E. Olin, Professor of Economics and Philosophy at The University of Akron, who discussed the value of the social worker to the community.

On April 15, 1957 a vote was held whether to keep the organization's name or change it to Community Welfare Forum of Summit County. The majority voted to change the name and it was officially announced in a letter with the new letterhead on May 9, 1957. The monthly meeting format of a short luncheon with a speaker has remained the same. The Community Welfare Forum of Summit County is still active today.

The records are organized into two record series, which are in essence sub-groups. Series I: Social Workers Club of Summit County includes the records from the organization under its original name from 1921-1957. Series II: Community Welfare Forum of Summit County consists of materials of the organization under its current name from 1957-1993.

The original order of the records has been maintained. They are organized chronologically with each folder holding various types of documents such as constitutions, correspondence, reports, programs, bulletins, minutes, advertisements, newspaper clippings, financial reports, notes, questionnaires, ballots, calendars, and committee, speakers, and membership lists for each year. Of particular note are the documents listing the speaker's topics for the monthly meetings. The records may be useful to researchers interested in the networking, growth, and concerns of charitable social work in the 20th century.