In 1962, concern expressed by Mayor Merie E. Allen and other community leaders in Ogden led to the formation of the Mayor’s Committee on Youth. Members came from the Weber County Welfare Department, Employment Security, Police Department, Community Council on Social Services, YWCA, service clubs, and other local groups. Together, they worked to encourage community collaboration in addressing challenges faced by youth in the Ogden area.
That same year, the Weber County Welfare Department recognized the need for more feedback from families participating in its programs. To meet this need, the Embry Chapel AME Mother’s Council was organized as a way for program participants to share their experiences and provide reliable input on their needs.
In the fall of 1964, following the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act, the Director of Education Services of Ogden City Schools attended a conference in San Francisco to learn about the Act and its potential effect on schools and the broader effort to reduce poverty. Soon after, he presented a proposal to the Mayor’s Committee on Youth to expand services for young people in need.
The Director also suggested that the Mayor’s Committee on Youth broaden its focus, coordinating community resources to address the needs of families experiencing poverty. This proposal included the idea, introduced by the Mother’s Council, of having community members with lived experience participate in decision-making. The proposal was accepted, and the Mayor’s Committee on Youth reorganized into the Ogden Area Community Action Committee, incorporated on March 29, 1965. The organization then became the Ogden Area Community Action Agency, Inc. (OACAA), today known as the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership, Inc. (OWCAP).
From 1965 to the present, many changes have taken place in community development, but the mission and purpose of the Community Action Agency have remained constant. The 1965 mission statement was: “helping poor people become self-sufficient.” At the time, self-sufficiency meant that a family had the resources to maintain stability and adequately provide for their needs. This was achieved by offering direct resources or connecting families with local service agencies.
Primary focus areas identified in the early years included Washington-Jefferson, Dee Lewis, Marshall White, and West Ogden. In the early 1990s, these areas were considered among the most economically challenged communities in Utah.
Today, OWCAP continues its long-standing mission of supporting self-sufficiency: “OWCAP elevates individuals, families, and communities of Weber County by improving self-sufficiency through services and collaboration.”
