Centre Co. Council for Human Services and How it Grew
In the spring of 1963, a series of seminars on “Communities’ Responsibility to
Persons of Special Needs was held in Stale College. An outgrowth of these
seminars was a recommendation to organize a Centre County Council of Health and
Welfare Agencies. A meeting to discuss this proposal took place in July 1963,
resulting in the appointment of a steering committee.
The proposal came to life on October
14, 1963, when the first meeting of the Council took place at the Bellefonte
YMCA. At that meeting four sub-committees were appointed with the following
directives: (1) to investigate the publication of a directory, (2) to explore
methods of finding foster homes, (3) to initiate a survey of need, and (4) to
explore fund raising strategies. Throughout the years appropriate committees and
task forces have been formed as various needs arose. Some of these have
culminated in independent agencies.
The first annual meeting, scheduled
in January, 1964, was canceled because of snow, but this did not prove to be a
poor omen of things to come. During the next several years, more human service
organizations joined in the effort, and in 1968, the Council was incorporated as
a non-profit organization.
By-laws at the time of incorporation
show that the board consisted of president, vice-president, secretary,
treasurer, and 20 members chosen from the agency delegates. Within a few years,
the concept of an executive committee was developed.
In 1968, the first CCCHS Directory
was compiled by a member agency, the Altrusa Club, for distribution by the
Council. The Directory is updated every two years, with the latest edition in
1998.
1971 was a very good year, with the
first Interagency Luncheon being held at the Penn Belle Hotel, Bellefonte, in
April, and the first CCCHS newsletter being distributed in May.
On April 6, 1973, at the Council’s
first Volunteer Awards Dinner, Rose Cologne was named Volunteer of the Year. The
following year, each member agency was given the opportunity to name a Volunteer
of the Year, and thirteen agencies did so. The Volunteer Dinner has continued to
be a popular event. In recent years, more than 45 agencies have named a
Volunteer of the Year, and the Dinner Committee has been hard pressed to find a
meeting place large enough to accommodate all who wish to attend. The Volunteer
Dinner is now officially the Rose Cologne Volunteer Recognition Dinner.
The Council has been instrumental in
the formation of the Centre County Homemaker Service (now Centre HomeCare), the
Information and Referral Service, the Child Development and Family Council of
Centre County, the Family Planning Council, and Friends of Mental Health (the
Mental Health Associates). It has provided seed money for several agencies such
as the Voluntary Action Center, Friends of the Hearing Impaired, and Children
Helping Children. It has provided a monthly forum for discussion of community
concerns such as low cost housing in Centre County. The Council’s own Committee
on Disabilities has assumed a strong role in addressing the problems of the
disabled. Since its inception, the Centre County Council for Human Services has
endeavored to provide or to facilitate action based on the needs of the
community.
The Council began in the early 1970’s when funding for human services was becoming scarce. Directors and staff members of agencies needed to meet together to make sure funding was used in the most beneficial way. Early organizers included the late Rose Cologne, the late Ann Graybill Cook, Norma Keller, and others who remain active as individual members or as representatives from organizations. At first agency directors met monthly just to discuss how services were going to be met. Those meetings evolved into Interagency Luncheons, which continue today.
Luncheons are held monthly, and each meeting includes a program aimed at educating each other on the services we provide. They also include a time for sharing announcements about upcoming events and introductions of all attending. Our new meeting place will be at Pine Hall Lutheran Church (1760 W College Ave, State College), at noon on the first Wednesday of each month, and the public is welcome. Feel free to bring you own lunch.
The Council also produces a Directory of Human Services, which is free to members and available for sale to the public at the Office of Aging (Willowbank Building in Bellefonte - 355-6716) and Meals On Wheels (205 S. Garner St., State College - 237-8135). The directory is also available via the Web at CCCHS Directory.
The most well known event sponsored by the Council is the Rose Cologne Annual Volunteer Dinner. The first dinner was held in Penns Valley, 35 years ago and the volunteer honored was Dr. Rose Cologne. The dinner has grown over the years and now honors 35-40 volunteers who are nominated by the agencies they serve. Nearly 400 people come, enjoy dinner, and learn about agencies and all the exciting projects that volunteers are doing. Each agency has its own table, and family and friends are invited. It’s a nice way for agencies to thank their many volunteers.
The Council sponsors four training events each year for staff members of human service agencies. They are well attended and cover topics that serve as continuing education for those working in the field. There is also a central Safety Net within the Council that works to meet needs in emergency situations.
CCCHS serves as a model of agency cooperation around the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Other counties have copied our example as it really works to improve services that are given to those who need them.
CCCHS
