Defining charity

• Photo courtesy of George Groh & Sons Inc., Emporia.

An easy way to get involved with charitable organizations is to write a check. But as Henry David Thoreau said, "If you give money, spend yourself with it."

The 20 female members of the Social Service Club, Emporia, Kan., know it takes more than money to improve the lives of low-income Emporia residents. It also takes the club members' time, social consciousness, belief in their community and love of children.

The Social Service Club was founded in 1914 as a womens club to help low-income Emporia residents.

Becky Setterstrom, the Social Service Club's vice president, jokes, "We would take men as members, but they would have to do what we say."

In 1951, the club merged with the Emporia Welfare Association Inc. (the association operates under the club name) and moved into the association's Spanish Mission-style headquarters building. The building, which was built in 1927 with a clay tile roof system, is one of a few Spanish Mission-style buildings in Kansas.

Club members recently took time to renovate the building, which had not been well-maintained, and town members helped. For example, an Emporia furniture store sold carpet to the club at cost, and local hardware store staff painted the building's interior.

But signs of aging still could be spotted on the building, especially on the ceilings that were speckled with water stains.

The club members assumed the stains were old, so they had the ceilings patched and painted. But the water stains soon reemerged. To add to their problems, water also began leaking into light fixtures.

Club members went into the attic to investigate the leaks and were shocked to find it filled with buckets and garbage cans to collect water from the leaky roof.

"When we saw the buckets and garbage cans, we knew we had a big problem that obviously had been happening for some time," Setterstrom adds.

Shiela Steinkuhler, a former Social Service Club member, works for NRCA member George Groh & Sons Inc., Emporia. While a club member, Steinkuhler had talked with other members about fixing the aging original tile roof system because of unappealing aesthetics. But the roof system had not been a priority until the alarming attic discovery was made. Club members turned to George Groh & Sons for help.

The Social Service Club received reroofing bids from George Groh & Sons and roofing companies in Wichita, Kan., which is about 90 miles (144 km) from Emporia. During the bidding process, the women learned the building's structural roof supports no longer could hold a traditional clay tile roof system. In addition, a rafter was broken, and the roof was bowed. The costs of a new support system and clay tile roof system (about $20,000 combined) were too much for the charitable organization. The club, therefore, asked for a roof system that resembles but doesn't weigh as much as clay tile. An alternative design was acceptable because the building is not registered as a historical site; a Social Service Club committee currently is preparing documents for the building to become part of historical registers.

As requested, George Groh & Sons offered an alternative design—a lightweight metal roof system that resembles clay tile. George Groh & Sons was selected as the contractor because its bid was lower than or equal to other bids. The women also wanted a local company to repair the building.

Kurt Steinkuhler, president of George Groh & Sons, says, "It was challenging to find a product that would replace the original material to stay within the historical look of the unique building."

The company contacted Custom-Bilt Metals, South El Monte, Calif., to help with the roof system design. Custom-Bilt Metals, a distributor of Courtland, Ontario, Canada-based Dura-Loc Roofing Systems Ltd. products, recommended using Dura-Loc Roofing Systems metal tiles. To the roofing company's and club members' surprise, Custom-Bilt Metals donated several squares of material.

"We were pleased to support the efforts of this worthwhile organization while helping to preserve a unique architectural example," says Tony Chiovare, Custom-Bilt Metals' president. "The new roof is architecturally appropriate, yet it eliminates weight concerns. [And it] will provide many years of service to this community's group."

The women

The Social Service Club began as a sewing group for the upper-crust members of Emporia society. Club members sewed layettes and gave the garments to local hospitals. Nurses were instructed to give the layettes to new mothers or others in need. As the group developed, the women sought the advice of William Allen White, an Emporia journalist and author, for a group name, and White suggested the Social Service Club. Initially, the club met at a member's home and then moved to a local YMCA before occupying the Emporia Welfare Association's building.

As need grew in Emporia, the group members did more than sew. The women fund-raised and hosted formal social events so they could give more than layettes to the community. The club began donating clothes, toys and other items. But while providing for the needy, the women always remained high society.

Setterstrom says: "In the early years, it was hard to become a member and the women were very serious. If a member didn't show up to a meeting, she had to pay a penalty."

The club no longer is for Emporia's elite, and Setterstrom says the group is begging for more members. But the club still makes a difference in people's lives. The Social Service Club runs Coats for Kids, a charity that collects winter coats for children. The coats typically are delivered to schools and anonymously given to children as gifts though some families directly contact the club for coats.

The Social Service Club also delivers underwear, socks, sweat shirts, boots, gloves, hats and other items to Emporia schools.

"We have received telephone calls from teachers saying there is a child in school who doesn't have any underwear or a child came from Mexico and is wearing sandals in the winter," Setterstrom explains. "So we go out, buy clothes and drop items off at the schools."

The women also donate toys, Christmas trees and decorations, and household items to families. They purchase most of the items the club donates with money raised from fund-raisers, raffles or corporate sponsors. And when the club doesn't have enough money to help its community, the women selflessly buy items with their own money.

Work

Roofing work began Sept. 16, 2002, and finished Oct. 11, 2002. To maintain safety, harnesses and lifelines were used. Tear-off work took three days, and 14 1/2 tons (13 Mg) of clay tile were removed from the roof.

After the tiles were removed, roofing workers addressed structural problems. The deck in the area of the broken rafter was removed so the rafter could be replaced. The remaining rafters were jacked up with screw jacks and braced with 2 x 6 boards from within the attic to prevent additional roof system sagging.

Three roofing workers then installed Dura-Loc Continental metal tiles in mission terracotta. The building needed about 2,600 square feet (242 m2) of metal tile. The metal tiles weigh about one-fourth as much as comparable roof tiles.

Emporia's keeper

In 1951, The Emporia Gazette published a story about the Social Service Club and Emporia Welfare Association merger. The paper said the merger meant "that Emporia itself still is her children's ‘best keeper.'"

The Social Service Club continues to be a keeper of Emporia residents in need. Renovating the headquarters building has made the club's mission easier to accomplish by allowing club members to stop worrying about buckets and garbage cans in the attic and instead focus on making lives easier for those in need.

Chiovare adds, "The new tile roof system not only is aesthetically appealing, [but] it also frees this worthwhile charity to focus on its community efforts without concern about ongoing maintenance and repairs."

But the club isn't the only Emporia establishment celebrating the discounted roof system nor is it the only organization enjoying the fulfillment of being a local keeper.

"We were happy to help maintain [the building's] authentic appearance while also helping a good cause in our community," Kurt explains.

Kate Gawlik is associate editor of Professional Roofing magazine.

Project name: The Social Service Club

Project location: Emporia, Kan.

Project duration: Sept. 16, 2002, to Oct. 11, 2002

Roof system type: Metal tile

Roofing contractor: George Groh & Sons Inc., Emporia

Roofing manufacturer: Dura-Loc Roofing Systems Ltd., Courtland, Ontario, Canada

Roofing distributor: Custom-Bilt Metals, South El Monte, Calif.