Our Family Tree
Learn about the generous donors who have established charitable funds through Stark Community Foundation.
The Visiting Nurse Society, from its founding in 1898, served the health care needs of Stark County residents. After taking care of generations, the organization decided to cease operations — and Stark Community Foundation was there to help the Visiting Nurse Society continue its legacy of providing quality health care to the community.
Beginning in 1905, before Stark County had a city or county health department or an immunization program, the blue-uniformed women of the Visiting Nurse Society of Stark County were a familiar and welcome sight. Traveling to local homes by foot and toting black bags of medical supplies, the Visiting Nurses cared for the area’s sick and elderly, and provided much-needed health care and education to children and families.
Through the years, the Visiting Nurse Society evolved, but continued its tradition of promoting wellness and filling unmet health care needs. In the 1920s, the agency began providing orthopedic care to crippled children and in-home maternity services. A forerunner in the treatment and rehabilitation of polio victims, the Visiting Nurse Society brought Hubbard tanks into homes to treat patients, before the hydrotherapy equipment was available in hospitals.
In the mid-1960s, the Visiting Nurse Society was the only Medicare-certified home health care agency in the area, necessitating a broader base of services to benefit patients. The expanded program offerings included hospice, rehabilitation, social services, volunteers and home health aides.
The Visiting Nurse Society began its long and rewarding relationship with the Margaret B. Shipley Child Health Clinic — a multi-location health care service providing immunizations, physicals and well-baby care to low-income families —when it took over administrative responsibilities in 1971. After merging its home health division with the Sisters of St. Augustine/Columbia Healthcare Corporation partnership in the mid-1990s, the board of trustees chose to retain and incorporate the Clinic into the Margaret B. Shipley Child Health Clinic, Inc.
When the board of directors made the difficult decision to stop operating as a nonprofit organization, the original purpose of the Visiting Nurse Society was not forgotten. The remaining proceeds were transferred to Stark Community Foundation, ensuring that the organization’s legacy of providing quality health care to our community could live on in perpetuity. Income from the Visiting Nurse Society Designated Fund will benefit the Shipley Child Health Clinic and students who are pursuing a degree in nursing from five Stark County colleges and universities.