Northwestern University Settlement (Chicago, Ill.). Evanston Woman's Board
Biography
The Northwestern University Settlement Association was founded in 1891 by a group of administrators and faculty from Northwestern University in order to provide social services, educational programs, referrals, and emergency relief to a poor immigrant neighborhood on Chicago's near northwest side. In 1901, after three moves, the Settlement was established in the building at 1400 West Augusta where it continues to operate as a community center.
The Evanston Woman's Board of the Northwestern University Settlement was formed in 1909 by Elizabeth Whitely and Clara Griswold to generate financial support for the Settlement. The annual fund raising campaign of the Evanston Woman's Board was the “Dollar Letter” program. Each member was responsible for raising $100 by sending letters asking for $1 pledges. The Evanston Woman's Board elected a President and other officers every two years and held regular meetings. For more information on the history of the Evanston Woman's Board see Box 3, folder 9.
For additional historical background on the Settlement, see the historical summary which forms a part of the descriptive inventory for Series 41/1, the General Administrative Records. See also the informal history prepared for the Settlement's centennial, The Worn Doorstep, by Mark Wukas (Chicago: Northwestern University Settlement Association, 1991).