Local History Collections

(Description ID: 609931)

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

Ohio Child Conservation League

Guiding Hands Chapter

LH-461

Introduction

Agency History

Scope and Content

Inventory

Introduction

The records of the Guiding Hands chapter of the Ohio Child Conservation League were donated to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in 2024.

Agency History

The national organization of the Child Conservation League was formed in 1918. Ohio formed its first chapters in 1920. Believing that the nation’s "children are its most valuable assets and its least conserved," the non-profit Child Conservation League promotes worthy and effective relationships between parents and children in the home and the community. It attempts to provide an avenue for systematized efforts pertaining to childhood and its needs through education, philanthropy, and legislation. The Ohio organization includes 7,500 members who are active in five hundred leagues in twelve districts. Delegates representing their league attend a district conference each spring. Each league holds monthly meetings at members’ homes from September through May. Four topics, revolving around the moral, physical, spiritual, and mental development of the child, are selected annually for research and discussion. Each league conducts fund raising events to support the Ohio Scholarship Loan Fund. $65,000 was loaned to university students by the organization during 1998.

The Guiding Hands chapter of the Ohio Child Conservation League, located within the Toledo Federation in the Northwest District, was organized on September 11, 1963.  The chapter’s first president was Jill Cousino.  The group held meetings on the second Wednesday of each month, with each meeting hosted by a different member.  The motto for the chapter was “A child well guided today, tomorrow will guide well his own destiny.”  Their colors were green and gold. 

The group participated in many philanthropic projects.  They donated baked goods to children in hospitals and the elderly, as well as donating clothes to people of all ages.  They also raised money for the Ohio Child Conservation League scholarship fund to aid high school students wanting to attend college. 

At the monthly meetings, members discussed topics surrounding the welfare of children.  Members would often provide a demonstration or perform a skit for other group members.  Meetings were also held at courthouses or local businesses where community leaders would discuss issues facing children in the community.  Some meetings were more informal, such as gatherings at the Y.M.C.A. where members would bring their families to swim.

There are no records within the collection indicating when the group officially disbanded.

Scope and Content

This collection begins with the 1963 founding document of the Guiding Hands chapter.  There are 11 program books that provide information for a specific calendar year.  The program books list the executive board, monthly projects, location of monthly meetings, and the organizational constitution.  Two scrapbooks that feature yearly program books as well as memorabilia and photographs from the activities the group participated in each month complete the collection.   The first scrapbook spans from 1963 to 1973, and the second scrapbook from 1973 to 1985. 

Inventory

Ac. 6137

Box 1

1. Ohio Child Conservation League- The Guiding Hands Chapter Founding Document 9/11/1963

2. Program Books

Program Book 1964-1965

Program Book 1965-1966

Program Book 1968-1969

Program Book 1969-1970

Program Book 1970-1971

Program Book 1971-1972

Program Book 1972-1973

Program Book 1978-1979

Program Book 1980-1981

Program Book 1981-1982

Program Book 1982-1983

Scrapbooks

The Guiding Hands C.C.L. Scrapbook 1963-1973

The Guiding Hands C.C.L. Scrapbook 1973-1985