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The roots of
Volunteers of America -- the organization dedicated to proving that
“There are no limits to caring”
-- date back to the 1800’s.
William Booth,
founder of the Salvation Army in England in 1865, sent his son and
daughter–in-law, Ballington and Maud Booth, to America in 1887 to
head up the Salvation Army in the States. Ballington and Maud found
they preferred their new home to the rigid class distinction of the
nineteenth century England, and soon became naturalized U.S
citizens.
The “Americanization” of Ballington and Maud Booth did not sit well
with Ballington’s father at all. Their disagreement resulted in
Ballington and Maud leaving the Salvation Army and creating their
own organization, dedicated to helping any Americans in need. And
so, on March 8, 1896, in New York City, NY, Ballington and Maud
Booth created Volunteers of America.
Formed to meet the unique needs of the United States, the new
organization had a democratic structure with an elected national
director and established legislative body. This organization
adopted a constitution similar in style and structure to that of the
United States. Unlike the U.S. constitution, however, Maud Booth
ensured that VOA’s constitution included a significant article
protecting the rights of women, declaring women as equals. This was
a revolutionary move -- far ahead of its time.
Soon after its birth, Volunteers of America spread and prospered
with the help of many American supporters who dedicated themselves
to the reaching and uplifting the American people by going “wherever
we are needed and doing whatever comes to hand.” Local offices
quickly opened in different parts of the country and in less than
nine months, posts were established in over 100 communities.
By the turn of the
century, Volunteers of America had evolved from being an evangelical
mission to that of being a well-established human services agency.
It was designed to enhance the ability of individuals to return to
independent, self-sufficient lives in their community. VOA moved
into day nurseries and summer camps, provided housing for single
working men and women, sponsored disaster relief, set up food
pantries, helped found the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and
established the nation’s first system of halfway houses for released
prisoners. Indeed, Maud Booth was dubbed “The Little Mother of
Prisons” due to her belief in, and compassion for, our nation’s
prisoners.
New programs and
services were begun whenever and wherever community needs dictated.
This principle of tailoring programs to local requirements lives on
to the present. As a result, the human services programs of
Volunteers of America vary throughout the United States.
Here in Volunteers
of America Los Angeles, our services include such valuable programs
as Head Start, Upward Bound, homeless shelters, rehabilitation
centers, meals-on-wheels, correctional facilities, and much more.
Now in our second
century of service, Volunteers of America is one of the nation’s
largest and most comprehensive human services organizations,
touching the lives of literally millions of people yearly throughout
the United States. We continue to be listed among America’s
best-run charities as we continue to prove that ...
There
are no limits to caring. |
