The "Handbook of Social Resources of the U.S.” has been compiled in response to an urgent demand. It has been prepared for the use of Red Cross workers and others who are in need of information on the health, nursing, social service, educational, recreational, and civic and community betterment resources of the country. It is hoped that the material it includes will fulfill its purpose of aiding Red Cross Chapter workers and other readers in the task of bringing individuals and communities into touch with the agencies which can help them. W. FRANK PERSONS Vice-Chairman In Charge of Domestic Operations D INTRODUCTION URING the War, the American Red Cross prepared a "Handbook of Information and Instructions for Home Service Sec tions" for the aid of Red Cross Chapters and Branches throughout the country which were called upon to give service to soldiers, sailors, and marines, and their families, and to supply information on subjects of special interest to these. The work with the ex-service man and his family continues to be a responsibility of the Red Cross. The Handbook for Home Service Sections is still in regular use. The peace-time activities of the Red Cross have brought with them need for information regarding the social resources of the country, not merely in relation to soldiers and sailors, but in a great variety of other fields as well. To meet this need, the Red Cross is issuing peace-time handbooks of information and other informative material. The present volume, a Handbook of national resources, has been prepared by Red Cross National Headquarters. Since the former war service resources Handbook is still available, the new Handbook does not attempt to include information regarding agencies whose sole purpose is to render aid to soldiers and sailors, and their dependents. The supplying of information in regard to organizations and institutions of this character is left to the section of Service Claims and Information of the Post War Services of the Red Cross which keeps up-to-date the war-time Handbook and also sends out information in other forms. The "Handbook of Social Resources of the U. S.", however, includes material in regard to agencies for the benefit of service men or ex-service men and their families if these agencies have a peace-time program as well. The present Handbook also does not attempt to cover activities of a temporary nature, as to which information may be better furnished by circular letters, individual correspondence, and other means. The peace-time national Handbook does not include information in regard to agencies which are regional, State, or local in scope, and therefore likely to be of interest only to individual Division Offices or Chapters of the Red Cross. Certain of the Divisions of the Red Cross are issuing peace-time State Handbooks of information covering the social resources of some V of the States. A volume on North Carolina has already been issued. This was prepared in cooperation by the State departments, the University of North Carolina, and the Southern Division Office of the Red Cross. There are some institutions which might possibly be termed national which, however, it has been thought best to omit from the national Handbook as being in the main regional in service. For example, schools of nursing, schools of social service, public health and sociological departments in colleges and universities, general hospitals, homes for children, and homes for the aged have been left to the Division Information Services as drawing more especially from their own States and Divisions though many of them are to some extent nation-wide in scope. Exception has been made, however, in the case of a few which render a nation-wide service of unique character such as the Federal Leprosarium, the Columbia Institution for the Deaf, and the like. It will be understood that to obtain information in regard to social resources available in any given State, Red Cross workers will need to consult both National Headquarters Information Service material and the information material of the Division Office. The Handbook is a digest of social resources of the U. S. and does not furnish descriptions of agencies operating abroad and having no organization in this country except to support their activities elsewhere. No attempt has been made to include in the Handbook the great number of fraternal, mutual benefit, pension fund, and related associations, which do not render service outside their membership. Beneficiaries are familiar with their activities and will not need to be informed regarding them. Maternity insurance organizations, however, because of their relation to infant welfare, are made an exception to this rule. Omission from the Handbook in no sense implies disapproval. In many cases, agencies giving important and valuable service are omitted because Red Cross workers and others need to make contacts with the State or regional sub-divisions or affiliated bodies and not with the national organization. To include a description of the national organization might cause workers to take the unnecessary step of writing to the national office with the result only of being referred back for the service desired to the regional or State sub-division or member or affiliated body. Some agencies also are omitted from the Handbook because the service they render is of a technical character and offered |