100th Anniversary of Ada S. Mckinley Community Services
Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, as World War I came to a close in 1919, Ada Sophia McKinley founded a Chicago South Side settlement house for returning war veterans and anyone else in need of training, food, shelter, and recreation. As century later, the Ada S. McKinley Community Services serves more than 7,000 people annually at 70 locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
McKinley was born 3 years after the Civil War in Galveston, TX. During World War I, she moved to Chicago with her husband and son. She was a schoolteacher and a community activist. McKinley began volunteering as an official hostess of the War Camp Club on South Wabash Avenue, helping war servicemen and their families. The club used recreational and civic activities to help soldiers make the transition back. It was a precursor to the therapies we use today for posttraumatic stress disorder treatments.
The War Recreation Board cut funding to the War Camp Club when the war ended, but the Douglas/South Side community still needed help, and the Great Migration had accelerated people moving to Chicago with very little resources. McKinley continued helping people, eventually founding what became the South Side Settlement House in an old, three- story mansion at 32nd and Wabash Avenue in 1919.
At the South Side Settlement House, people could get a meal, some cash, and take classes in sewing, cooking, arts, and crafts, ceramics, and storytelling. There was a summer camp, a library, and even friendship clubs for lonely seniors.
McKinley never collected a salary for her work. She established a board of directors, implemented childcare, job training, employment referral, and educational systems for all ages.
After the 1919 Chicago race riots, McKinley marched with legendary colleagues Jane Addams, Harriet Vittum, and Mary McDowell. McKinley worked with the Chicago Commission on Race Relations to help restore order and relief to people.
On August 24, 1952, McKinley helped lay the cornerstone for a new headquarters for her organization at 100 E. 34th Street. Hours later, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away.
Her legacy lives on in the work of her agency. Today, children can attend quality education services at the Ada S. McKinley Community Services locations. People can get help for their lives with mentoring programs, financial aid counseling, and a host of other programs. Their motto is ``Empower. Educate. Employ.'' Today, we honor a century of their good work doing just that.
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