This Day in History: 1953-06-24
Delbert Replogle, President of the Volunteer Committee concerned with the People of the Ramapo, addressed a meeting of forty people at the Presbyterian Church in Ramsey. The committee was formed under the auspices of the Quaker American Friends Service Committee to do something on a local level for the Ramapo Mountain People. Mrs. Vers Stomms, school nurse, spoke of the urgent need for a baby clinic and a day nursery where working mothers could leave their children. The Rev. George Mann, the Pastor of the mountain church spoke of the struggle to find adequate housing and the need for supervised recreation and some way to overcome community prejudice. He spoke, particularly of the small bands of community children who set out on foot for the local swimming concession only to return having been refused admission. Professor Warren Smith of Penn State University explained the Friends Work Camp which will serve the community during the summer. Sixteen young people recruited by the AFSC were to spend 8 weeks largely at their own expense to help in the community. Mr. Replogle explained that the original plan was for the young people to work with community residents in building a community educational center to meet the need for a first aid station, day care facility and recreation and meeting place, but this met with some community resistance and the Township Board would not issue the required building permit. Instead the work camp would grade the property bought for the center and build an addition onto the Grove Street AME Zion Church. He said that the idea was to work with, not against people. (Bristow)