Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Temple Tuesday: Community Chest


This October 1939 photo shows Shirley Temple promoting the Community Chest, right around the time she was filming “The Blue Bird.” When I saw this photo, all I could think of was the game Monopoly. Little did I know that the first Community Chest, “Community Fund,” was founded in 1913 by the Federation for Charity and Philanthropy in Cleveland, Ohio. There were more than one thousand Community Chest organizations by 1948. I would guess that Shirley was doing her part to promote an annual giving campaign. By 1963, “Community Chest” was replaced by the name “United Way” in the United States.

Community Chest does live on though as the name for a gameplay feature in the popular board game Monopoly.


How many of you remember the relief in getting a yellow Community Chest card instead of an orange Chance card?


Well, except for that pesky maternity ward bill!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

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