USO Campaign Passes $7,000: Final Audit Shows City Far Above Goal

USO Campaign Passes $7,000

Final Audit Shows City Far Above Goal

Post-campaign contributions to the fund raised by the United Service Organizations in Ann Arbor have pushed the total over the $7,000 mark.

John D. Finlayson, the USO campaign chairman, announced that a final audit showed pledges of $7,021.63 in Ann Arbor, or $1,021.63 more than the goal of $6,000 set as the city’s share in the nationwide USO campaign.

The sum of $10,765,000 was sought throughout the country to provide for the operation by the USO of clubhouses to be built by the government near army camps, naval bases and defense industries to make the off-duty hours of soldiers, sailors and workers more pleasant.

A breakdown of the audit listed funds raised by divisions as follows: Women’s, $2,692.09; special gifts, $2,133.15; men’s, $1,937.85; and group, $258.54. There were 3,046 contributors, not counting the hundreds who contributed through coin boxes.

Payment of $5,500 to the national USO fund, the amount requested by the national headquarters, has been authorized by the local USO committee, the president, Osias Zwerdling, announced.

Remainder Kept Here

The remainder of the local fund, Mr. Zwerdling said, will be held by the local treasurer and "used as the committee may later determine.”

Mr. Zwerdling pointed out that the committee is organized on a permanent basis and will continue to receive donations from persons missed in the canvass. Contributions may be sent to the local USO treasurer, Norman A. Ottmar, at the State St. branch of the Ann Arbor Savings & Commercial bank; or to Mr. Zwerdling, 217 E. Liberty St..

In a joint statement expressing satisfaction with the results of the campaign, Mr. Zwerdling and Mr. Finlayson said:

“We should like, if it were possible, to thank personally every campaign worker and every contributor who has assisted in achieving success in this campaign. The splendid way in which Ann Arbor has responded to this appeal has been most encouraging, and we know that the Ann Arbor boys in the training camps will be gratified to know that the citizens of Ann Arbor are backing them up in this way.”