Federation of Independent School Alumnae

The Federation of Girls' School Societies (renamed the Federation of Independent School Alumnae in 1985) was a philanthropic group formed by Anne Burgwin Scully in 1911. Scully, a graduate of the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York had previously organized the Misses Masters School (Dobbs) Society of Pittsburgh to provide social services to poor women. Realizing that these efforts could be strengthened by forming a federation of like-minded school societies, Scully invited Madelaine Laughlin Alexander (Mrs. Maitland Alexander), Louise Kay Ebbert (Mrs. George Singer Ebbert), Marjory Rea Laughlin (Mrs. H. Hughart Laughlin), and Miss Helen Blanche Rauh to join her in establishing the new organization. With its mission to improve the lives of working class women, the Federation opened the Harmarville Convalescent Home in 1913, 12 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The first of its kind in the Pittsburgh area, the Home provided a place for women to recover following childbirth. In 1956, reacting to the changing needs of society, the Federation converted the Home into the Harmarville Rehabilitation Center and began focusing on rehabilitating those with disabilities. In 1996, the Federation decided to sell the HRC to a for-profit healthcare company. Today, the FISA Foundation continues to be involved in charitable work.