Back in the year 1890 the groundwork for Vocational Guidance Services was laid by a small group of young women who became determined to make a difference in their community. What started out as a summer project suggested by Mrs. Oscar Childs, the mother of two of the founding girls, quickly became an unstoppable force that has had a lasting impact on thousands of lives.

During the summer of 1890, Mrs. Childs suggested that her daughters, Effie and Mae invite some friends over to their Prospect Avenue home for an afternoon of reading and sewing. The girls did just that and decided to organize a club, much like Rainbow Circle of King’s Daughters, which was an organization that several of their older sisters belonged to. At the suggestion of Dr. Kirk Cushing the girls decided to focus on brightening the lives of bed-ridden children at Lakeside Hospital, then located in downtown Cleveland. The group chose to call themselves The Sunbeam Circle because “the rainbow follows the storm and after the rainbow comes the sunbeam”.

In 1900, the Sunbeam girls, now young adults, continued their quest to improve the lives of less fortunate members of the community. The group established the first kindergarten for children with disabilities at Alta House Social Settlement on Murrary Hill Road. This pioneering venture was later taken up by the Cleveland Day Nursery and Kindergarten Association.  

 The young women were faced with a multitude of problems in running the new kindergarten. Among the largest was the need for a method of transporting the children to the school each day. Financial gifts of families and friends allowed the group to overcome this formidable challenge with the rental of a horse-drawn omnibus. A skilled driver, sympathetic and patient with the special needs of the young passengers, was secured providing the children with safe and reliable transportation.

In 1901 the Sunbeam Circle moved into the Goodrich Social Settlement House where they began working with older children who also needed educational facilities adapted to their handicaps. The school was staffed and supported by the Cleveland Board of Education. Shortly after, Sunbeam opened the School for Crippled Children at 724 Hamilton Avenue. This groundbreaking school proudly accepted children irrespective of color, creed or nationality. Each day two specially equipped busses carried children to and from the school.

With the assistance of the Cleveland Board of Education, Sunbeam started the Wilson School for Crippled Children on what is now East 55th Street. With the proceeds from bazaars and donations from family and friends, the Sunbeam Circle underwrote the expenses for the bus, driver, livery and salaries for the teachers.

As the school grew, the Cleveland Board of Education supplied a principal, two grade school teachers and a kindergarten. Again, transportation for the students proved to be a challenge and the Sunbeam Circle appealed to the community for help. In 1911, 460 donors made three additional buses possible, allowing 70 children to attend the school, some from as far away as a two-hour drive both ways. To ensure that the children arrived to and from school safely, each omnibus had a Sunbeam volunteer present to assist in loading and unloading the young passengers. In 1913 the Cleveland Board of Education took over the complete responsibility of the school and the name was changed to Sunbeam School for Crippled Children.

During these early years, a summer sewing school for girls was also established in the home of Mrs. Edward M. Williams to determine if a permanent sewing shop was feasible. A sewing teacher was provided and soon beautifully hand-sewn dresses and other articles were being sold at their Sunbeam Sales.

The undertaking was a success and in 1914 the group began seeking space to rent to expand the program. At the beginning of April in 1915, two rooms were rented in the Quimby block at the northeast corner of Euclid Avenue and East 55th Street. One room was used for the training and workroom and the other was used to sell the beautifully hand crafted items. Additional items were sewn by girls with disabilities throughout the community. With the assistance of Miss Margaret Wagner, a volunteer from the Junior League who later went onto a position of social work among older persons, the projects success continued and the Home Industry became an integral part of the Sunbeam Circle.

Soon after the establishment of the sewing school and workshop, Sunbeam Circle changed its name to the Sunbeam Association. In 1916 it gave the principal financial support to the Cleveland Welfare Federation survey of crippled persons. As the first city-wide census of people with disabilities in the country the study was a groundbreaking attempt focused on developing a community plan to assist individuals with special needs. As a result of the survey, in 1918 Sunbeam Association was incorporated into the Association for Crippled and Disabled.

The unique feature of the associaation was the broad scope of the services offered.  By providing a full range of services, the association strove to provide every individual in Cleveland with a disability, whether child or adult, with the tools to successed in life. 

Come back soon for more Sunbeam History!