The history of the Health-Welfare-Recreation Planning Council of the United Communities in Tidewater, Virginia: a case study in voluntary planning

Abstract

The paper is a study of a voluntary agency engaged in social services planning in Tidewater Virginia for more than thirty years. Taking the historical approach, the study considers the role that private citizens have played in directing the planning activities of the Council of Social Agencies (later the Health-Welfare-Recreation Planning Council) and notes particularly those instances where decisions lying in the public domain have been influenced by actions of the Council and its leadership. The study takes up the question of changing patterns of Board membership and community working methods at different stages in time, observing where possible any factors which appear to have contributed to the success or failure of planning activities undertaken by the agency. Consideration is given to elements which can be expected to influence the future of voluntary planning agencies, and conclusions are drawn as to the factors which might be applicable to other communities. A detailed chronology of major events in the Council history is contained in the Appendix.