Category: Charity and Philanthropy

WILLIAMS, EDWARD MASON (9 Nov. 1871-25 July 1936) withdrew from an active business career in midlife in order to increase his involvement in civic affairs, notably as a member of the Cleveland Board of Education. Born in Cleveland, he was the son of Edward P. and Mary Mason Williams.

WILLIAMS, KATHERINE WITHROW (12 Aug. 1904-23 Feb. 1994) a leading patron of Cleveland's arts community, was born in Shepardstown, West Virginia, the daughter of Tully and Lalla Reynolds Biays. She and her husband Alfred, who helped found the BRUSH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, came to Cleveland in 1928.

WING, MARIE REMINGTON (5 Nov. 1885-27 Dec. 1982), lawyer, feminist, and reformer, was born in Cleveland to federal judge Francis J.

WITT, PETER (24 July 1869-20 Oct. 1948), politician and transit expert, was born in Cleveland to Christian and Anna Witt. He attended school through the 5th grade and then worked in a basket factory. He later worked as an iron molder and foundryman. Rebellious and outspoken, Witt took part in union activities and was blacklisted in 1896.

WITT, STILLMAN (4 Jan. 1808-29 Apr. 1875), railroad president and philanthropist, was born in Worcester, Mass., to John and Hannah (Foster) Witt. At 13 he moved to Troy, N.Y. and apprenticed with Canvass White of the U.S. Engineer Corps, then was sent by White to administer Cohoes Mfg. Co., employed to build a bridge at Cohoes Falls and on other building projects.

WOLF, EDITH ANISFIELD (1889-23 Jan. 1963), poet, businesswoman, and philanthropist, was born in Cleveland to Doniella (Guttenberg) and JOHN ANISFIELD and graduated from Women's College (later Flora Stone Mather College). On 7 Aug.

The WOLPERT FUND was founded in 1980 by Samuel A. and Roslyn A. Wolpert to "create opportunities for people to develop and work together." It was created as one of the CLEVELAND FOUNDATION's supporting organizations.

The WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION CONVENTION in Cleveland 18-20 Nov. 1874 institutionalized TEMPERANCE as a social movement, marking the formal organization of the national Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). On 15 Aug.

The WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION, NON-PARTISAN, OF CLEVELAND, formally organized in March 1874 as the Woman's Christian Temperance League, was one of the city's principal TEMPERANCE organizations and participated in the founding of the national non-partisan group.

The WOMAN’S FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY was founded in 1872 at Second Church on Superior St., with the purpose of helping and supporting female Presbyterian missionaries in their work in foreign countries.

WOMAN'S GENERAL HOSPITAL (1878-1984, inc. 1894) founded as the Women's & Children's Free Medical & Surgical Dispensary, was the only hospital in Cleveland entirely founded by women. Although initially devoted to care of women and children, it later expanded to provide in-patient care in medicine, surgery, and pediatrics for women and men.

WOMANKIND MATERNAL AND PRENATAL CENTER, established in 1975 as Birthcare Inc. by nurse Michele Rogers, among others, has provided prenatal and maternal medical care to WOMEN of the Greater Cleveland area with unplanned or stressful pregnancies, regardless of age, ethnic group, religion, or ability to pay. More than two-thirds of the almost 1,700 clients served per year are single mothers.

WOMEN SPEAK OUT FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE is a group dedicated to protesting for peace and justice and against war, racism, injustice, and inequalities in society. It was formed in 1968 out of a group of Cleveland women who traveled to Washington, DC, to join a protest march against the Vietnam War. Organizer and first chairperson of Women Speak Out was Mrs. Louise Peck. The second chairperson was Mrs.

The WOMEN'S CITY CLUB of Cleveland was founded to encourage women’s interest in civic affairs, to provide women with a place to meet for public discussions, and to promote Cleveland’s welfare.

The WOMEN'S COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (WCF) was founded in Cleveland in 1984 as the Women's Community Fund, to support Cuyahoga County programs that optimize the potential of WOMEN and girls in the Greater Cleveland Community. It was the first local foundation to focus on women, and the WCF's goal is to be a leader in supporting solutions for contemporary women's issues.

The WOMEN'S COUNCIL PEACE PARADE FOR THE PREVENTION OF FUTURE WARS took place on Sunday, 18 May 1924, when 5,000 (sometimes given as 3,600) women marched down Euclid Ave., from E. 24th to E. 3rd St. and Lakeside. The parade, designed to encourage a "will to peace in the world" and "to prevent war . . .

The WOMEN'S PHILANTHROPIC UNION, established on 27 Sept. 1926, succeeded the WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION (WCTU), NON-PARTISAN, of Cleveland.

The WOMEN'S PROJECT FOUNDATION was established in 1986 in Cleveland to support projects which benefit WOMEN and/or CHILDREN AND YOUTH, in areas such as alcoholism, FAMILY PLANNING, EDUCATION (especially for minorities), filmmaking, and the arts.

The WOMEN'S PROTECTIVE ASSN. (WPA) formally organized on 9 Mar. 1916 "to protect and safeguard girls and women against social and moral dangers, to provide them with legal defense when necessary and to render other possible assistance. . . . ." Late in 1915, BELLE SHERWIN suggested that Mayor NEWTON D.

WOMEN'S WELSH CLUBS OF AMERICA. See WELSH HOME.


The WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION (WPA) in Cleveland provided needed income for a substantial portion of the city's population as well as improving and developing the area's transportation network, parks, and recreational facilities. The primary purpose of the WPA program, part of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act passed in April 1935, was to give employment to those on relief, the bulk of whom were unskilled.

The YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSN. of Cleveland, one of the country's first, was founded in 1854 to prevent "the ruin, physical and spiritual, which overtakes so large a proportion of the multitude of young men constantly arriving in our city." It operated out of rooms at Superior and W. 3rd streets, offering prayer meetings, a Sunday school, a lending library, and lectures by figures such as Henry Ward Beecher and Cassius M.