There are some 42 branches of Call for Action and each is affiliated with a radio or television station, including WIND-radio Chicago, WRAU-TV Peoria, WDZ Decatur and KMOX St. Louis. Last year the CFA's helped more than 360,000 persons solve problems ranging from a defective swimming pool in a swank suburb to a relief check stolen from a destitute woman in a slum neighborhood.

They have also played a key role in reform legislation in cities and states, launched major investigations into consumer rip-offs, stirred Congress and federal agencies and, on the way, piled up impressive records of award-winning laurels for their broadcasting partners.

Call for Action originated in New York City. Ellen S. Straus (of the New York Times clan) and her husband, Peter, owned WMCA-radio, and in the days surrounding the Kennedy assassination they decided that the ability of broadcasters to reach large numbers of people might be utilized to reach people with problems they were having difficulty in solving.

It started in February 1963 with a special concern about housing in New York City. One of their early projects was triggered when a baby froze to death in a Harlem tenement because of red tape; three different agencies supposedly were to respond to such emergencies but, because of confusion and duplication, none did. Ms. Straus joined by two friends (one a Rockefeller and the other a member of the Roosevelt family) spent a year visiting the Harlem tenements and going through City Hall records and, in the process, uncovered a cartel of slum landlords. There were federal grand juries and investigations by city and state officials that resulted in a clean-up.

From that beginning CFA expanded into all phases of modern problems. It also grew in geographical scope, spreading to other cities, and became affiliated with the National Coalition under John Gardner. In the past few years the Call for Action has attained a separate identity with its own board of directors and a national president, Sydney Gordon of Chicago.

The basic setup of each CFA is the same. Most are housed in or near the broadcasting station. Volunteers man phones — usually for several morning hours — to answer calls from persons with problems. Callers are referred to the source of help; then followup calls by CFA make sure the problem is solved.

Many calls are simple referrals because each CFA has developed an extensive reference book listing every available source of help for just about every conceivable kind of problem. This source book is constantly updated and is so extensive that other agencies frequently call for information. On many problems the CFA volunteer will intervene to cut through red tape, and each branch has developed a list of key people in trouble areas with a reputation for getting things done.

Where hangups occur or bureaucracy stalls, the CFA often turns to the TV or radio station, most of which have consumer reporters or editorial writers ready to do battle. The Chicago CFA first discovered the extensive foulup in unemployment compensation payments under Gov. Dan Walker, and a resulting editorial campaign received the Sigma Delta Chi award for distinguished service.

Many of the radio and TV stations have regular news reports or programs centered around CFA topics which also help focus on community problems. There is an interchange of problems because often a consumer in one city has the same problem as a consumer in another city. One exchange has resulted in the Federal Trade Commission investigation into a company doing a nationwide business in computerized cut-rate vacations whose dissatisfied customers had complained through a number of CFA branches.

With an audience of 30 million people through its broadcasting associates, CFA makes big waves on special projects. A few months ago it arranged through local bar associations, for an "Ask the Lawyer" program with a call-in, talk show format and listeners were invited to air their legal problems. More than 5,000 calls resulted, and they revealed a national problem: Three of every five callers had never spoken to a lawyer before and existing legal services in the modest price range are almost nonexistent for the family with an annual income in the $10,000 to $15,000 range.

Who volunteers for CFA? In many communities the Junior League recruits help. Most volunteers are women, but there are some men. Volunteers include retirees, and many volunteers formerly worked in other projects but found them remote and prefer the problem-solving challenges of the CFA. The volunteers have one thing in common: They refute the reputation of a cold impersonal world where people don't care. And CFA has the telephones and the volunteers to prove there are people who still care. 

34 / January 1978 / Illinois Issues