CWBA
Following my description of the founding and growing of CWBA, Christian Women's Benevolent Association, is a good article written by a then Senator about CWBA, an organization for which I worked part-time in 2000-2001 while a student and Dorm Mom at St. Louis Christian College, now closed. I was secretary to the President of CWBA. She too was only there part-time because of her age and health. While there, I was asked to write their history from records kept. Part 1 is my understanding of its history, though only the highlights. My part is followed by Senator Maria Nadal's article who wrote her part in 2012.
The first time I heard the name Christian Woman's Benevolent Association, my reaction was that it sounded like a sewing circle. As it turned out, it did begin as a sewing circle. Ladies from churches, particularly the Christian Church, made baby clothes for mothers with babies and who had no support. CWBA wouldn't be established until later years.
The Christian women then saw the need for housing for the mothers and their babies, so they obtained a house in 1899, probably donated, in which to provide a home for the mothers and their babies. (See photo) But then a plague came along and many of the babies died.
That revealed the need for a hospital, so they raised the funds, no doubt through churches, organizations and individuals, to build a hospital. It was called the Christian Hospital of St. Louis. Long story short, it is now Christian Northeast and Christian Northwest.
A need for a juvenile home became apparent, so in 1962 the Mothers and Babies Home was turned into an orphanage or Youth Home. It was discontinued in the 1980s, however.
Later they saw a need for an Old People's Home. It was eventually called the Christian Care Home that grew into the need for 180 beds. The board saw a need for a parent organization to oversee the hospital, the Mothers and Babies Home/Orphanage and the Old People's Home. They called it Christian Women's Benevolent Association or CWBA. They later built Harnett Christian Village, a home for Assisted Living residents.
All of this started with a group of ladies seeing a need and doing something about it. That is active Christianity provided by those who, once they saw the needs, assembled the work force that made these homes and the hospitals possible. And look what became of it: from a sewing circle to a Mothers and Babies Home to a hospital, to an orphanage, to an old people's home (180-bed Christian Care Home with 355 employees) then to an Assisted Living Home. Christian works, generated by love and caring, was combined with active, hands-on work. They saw a need and did something about it over and over.
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The following article was written by Senator Maria Nadal in 2012:
The Christian Women's Benevolent Association (C.W.B.A.) has been tirelessly helping the area's poor, homeless, orphaned, elderly and needy families to survive and thrive since 1899. Although it no longer has an orphanage and its Christian hospitals are now under new management, these women with core beliefs in the teaching of Jesus Christ started a valuable and uniquely American tradition of taking care of those who are in need.
Here is a synopsis of the organizations history, described by the Christian Care Home in Ferguson:
"In 1899, a group of concerned women led by Fannie Hamilton Shedd Ayars organized efforts to care for impoverished mothers and their babies. A home for children from newborn to age two and their mothers was established called the Mothers and Babies Home.
In 1903, this same group of women recognized the need for more extensive medical care of the mothers and babies and established Christian Hospital of St Louis. While the hospital was opened with the needs of mothers and child specifically in mind, the hospital served people of all ages. Always looking for ways to help people in need, in 1911 these women opened the Christian Old People's Home.
Now with three facilities, in 1911 the women formalized their organization as the Christian Women's Benevolent Association (C.W.B.A.). The organization provided consultation as well as financial and spiritual guidance to the Mothers and Babies Home, Christian Hospital of St Louis, and the Christian Old People's Home.
The childrens' mission of the C.W.B.A. changed in 1962 to provide resident care for the wards of the juvenile court system of Metropolitan St. Louis. The Mothers and Babies Home was converted to C.W.B.A. Youth Home.
In 1975 a new facility for the Christian Old People's Home was built at 800 Chambers Road in Ferguson, Missouri. That same decade Christian Hospital of St. Louis was sold. Some of the proceeds from that sale were used by the C.W.B.A. to expand the Christian Old People's Home and to build new facilities for the Youth Home. This ministry was discontinued in the 1980's.
As we entered our second century of caring for the poor and the sick, C.W.B.A. embarked on building a new state-of-the-art facility to house both the Christian Care Home and Harnett Christian Village residents. The facility is licensed and certified by the state of Missouri. Residents receive around-the-clock care from an expert staff of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants."
