Helene Nemschoff
Research by Emily Anderson
Quick Facts
Born: 08.29.1915, Wichita, Texas
Died: 07.27.2013, California
Education: B.A. from University of Missouri
Spouse: Joel Nemschoff (m. 12.06.1942)
Focus of Activism: Volunteerism
Helene poses for a profile in the Oakland Tribune, in which she articulates her stance on volunteerism.
Helene Nemschoff...
Born Helene Bertha Loeb, she dedicated her career to volunteerism and empowering women to serve in their communities. She held a variety of leadership positions in the Bay Area and transferred her leadership skills to coordinate the California State Meeting and serve as a delegate at the 1977 National Women’s Year Conference in Houston. She advocated for women, volunteers and the elderly until her death in 2013.
Volunteerism
After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, Helene joined the League of Women Voters and served as the volunteer coordinator for the Florence Crittenton Home in San Francisco. The home, founded in 1883, provided social services to single mothers, affordable childcare and family planning resources. Helene served as a community ambassador, encouraging locals to develop creative fundraisers, distributing flyers for sex-education resources and giving free sex education talks.
By 1967, Helene had been appointed as the executive director of the Volunteer Board of San Francisco and adopted the public stance that volunteers experience personal benefits by developing professional skills and connections to their communities.
"No longer do we say [volunteering is] completely unselfish or altruistic. It can be for the betterment of the community, myself & my family."
Helene Nemschoff
Reed, E. (1974, October 1). "Volunteerism can be Selfish". Oakland Tribune, p. 27.
Feminist Activism
Helene joined 2 committees at the IWY CA State Meeting:
Coordinating Committee: organized pre-meetings, delegated responsibilities to smaller committees including elections, nomination and outreach committees
International Interdependence Committee: coordinated the Women in an Interdependent World Program to cultivate a global feminist mindset & explore how U.S. women could strengthen their voice in foreign policy
Helene represented San Francisco at the 1977 California State Meeting & Nation Women's Conference in Houston.
Zocca, Stefano. (2020, December 2), “San Francisco 1973”. Unsplash.
After NWC Helene merged her two passions as an activist...
"The women’s movement played an important role in prompting women to seek paid work and exposing instances of exploitation of volunteers." - Helene Nemschoff, 1981
Nemschoff, H. L. (1981). Women As Volunteers: Long History, New Roles. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 5(4), 35–48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44875042 Legacy
By serving San Franciscan women at the Florence Crittenton Home, empowering female volunteers, encouraging international perspectives and attending the 1977 NWY Conference as a delegate, Helene Nemschoff left behind a legacy of selflessness.
Sources
A Pair of Speakers. (1965, September 27). Oakland Tribune, p. 23. https://ancestry.com
Cook County Clerk, comp. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk’s Office, Chicago, IL: Cook County Clerk, 2008.
Front Matter. (1988). Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 12(3). http://www.jstor.org/stable/44876650
“International Women’s Year: California State Meeting, Final Report to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year” June 1977, p. 6, box 1, folder: California, National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year Records, 1975-1978, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
League Votes for Charter Support. (1958, September 18). Mill Valley Record, p. 2. “Mrs. James Walsh Elected Chairman Crittenton Circle.” Eureka Humboldt Standard, 24 Mar. 1964, p. 5. https://ancestry.com
Nemschoff, H. L. (1981). Women As Volunteers: Long History, New Roles. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 5(4), 35–48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44875042
Reed, E. (1974, October 1). "Volunteerism can be Selfish". Oakland Tribune, p. 27.
The Sheboygan Press; Publication Date: 17 Apr 1991; Publication Place: Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA; URL:
Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File
Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services. Microfiche.
UCSF News. (1967). United States: The University of California.
United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.
"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: University of Missouri; Year: 1986