I TE SRE om og om owe. v Ce npn HS Sh 1.2- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 20, 1992 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Community benefits from de By Julia Dempsey Port Perry Star An S.0.S. was sent out across Scugog Township in November of 1952. The reason behind the urgent appeal for help was the Commu- nity Memorial Hospital. Slated to open its doors in January of 1963, the hospital was still in need of many items. Miss Franc- es Hincks, hospital superinten- dent, asked that an auxiliary be formed to help make some of the supplies that were needed. omen from all reaches of the township attended a meet- ing on November 25 and the hospital auxiliary was formed. "At that meeting no one had any idea -- nor any experience -- of auxiliary work; but that did not deter us from putting our hearts and heads together and getting busy with what we real- ized needed to be done before the opening of the hospital," re- members the first president Jeanne Dymond in the auxil- iary minutes. "Committees for planning, purchasing, sewing, etc., were Auxiliary celebrates 40th anniversary formed and everybody worked, doing what was asked of them, andin complete harmony." When the hospital opened, the auxiliary had 150 baby gowns, 50 bed pan covers, 60 bundle covers, 85 baby sheets, as well as surgical stocking, ba- sin covers, crib protectors, quilt- ed pads, perineal sheets, and small and large drape sheets ready. All of these items had been cut and sewn by the auxil- iary members. Showers were organized to help stock the hospital's linen closets. The innovative move broughtin 53 pairs of pillow cas- es, 96 tea towels, 112 face clothes, 112 hand towels and more than one case of toilet soap. The mothers of Scouts donat- ed 430 jars of homemade fruit, jam, jelly, and canned vegeta- bles. With its first monetary dona- tion -- the Head Church present- ed the auxiliary with a $100 cheque -- the auxiliary pur- chased dishes, tea pots, glasses andotheritems. Hospital Auxiliary luncheon, bridge, euchre Oct. 26 AAA AAA a r a AA At hh A The weekly euchre had ten tables on Thursday evening. The winners: Dorothy Bray, Verna Smith, Clara Whitter, Earla Hill, Arnold Canning, Bernice Loudfoot. Lucky draws: Grant Bright, Earla Hill, Elsie Forbes. Mrs. Florence Smith had her daughter Shirley and Howard Garvey and three grandchil- dren from North Carolina stay- ing with her the last few days. The Garvey family were here attending the funeral of Ho- ward's mother Agnes Garvey. Sympathy 1s extended to all members of her family. On Sunday the U.C.W. mem- bers were in charge of the morn- ing service at United Church. Theme "Celebration" in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the formation of the United Church women. A number of the ladies took part. The choir sang a de- lightful anthem. The highlight of the service was presenting life memberships to Myrtle Snelgrove, Eva Hunter, Grace Beacock, Pat Love, Helen Jew- ell, lean Pugh. A special pres- entation to Florence Smith who had received her hfe member- Ge PE GE nce Albert News by llean Pugh y: ship a number of years ago. Ser- vice closed with singing hymn "God Who Touches Earth with Beauty." Have you reserved tickets for the beef supper, Oct. 25 at 5 and 6:30 p.m. at the united church. Give Linda a call at 985-3143. Congratulations to Rev. Charlie and Lila Clarke on the occasion of their 62nd Wedding Anniversary. The Hospital Auxiliary Hot Luncheon and Bridge and Eu- chre - Oct. 26. at noon. Cards at 1 p.m. at Odd Fellows Hall. Sympathy 1s extended to Don and Nancy Plain and family on the death of Don's grandfather in Welland. Nice to see Jim Martin out af- ter undergoing surgery in Oshawa Hospital. Happy 18th Birthday to Dana McMillan on Sunday, Oct. 18. Mrs. M. Dewitt of Oshawa was a wisitor of her sisters Grace Beacock and Les. She at- tended the U.C.W. service on Sunday. Be careful this snowy week. What a beautiful time of year if you are safe and healthy. Scugog bridge results Oct. 14- Afternoon 5 Table Howell - Avg. 54 First: Bea Chapman and Hoppy Carnwith 69. Second: Joyce Heard and Helen Mathieson 66. Third: Bob Coleman and Pe- ter Francis 65 1/2. Fourth: Bonnie and Jack Davies 64 1/2. Evening 5 Table Howell - Avg. 54 First: Judy and Don Atkin- son 65 1/2. Second: Doris Phinney and Georgia Brock 62 1/2. Third: Miriam and Charles [Labanovich 61. Fourth: Audrey and Peter Francis 68. All of this was accomplished within a span of a little more than a month. The auxiliary's next chal- lenge was to supply the food at the hospital's opening on Janu- ary 7. Since the auxiliary had only just begun, it didn't have a ready supply of cash, so it bus- ied itself writing letters to wholesalers and stores asking for donations of food for the opening. The letter campaign was a huge success. The auxiliary re- ceived hundreds of boxes of cookies, tea bags for 1,600 cups of tea, a five-pound tin of loose tea, and sugar and cream, which was enough to serve the well-wishers at the open house with some left over to stock the hospital's shelves. Although the auxiliary had done its part in helping the hos- pital get off to a good start, the 44 church groups and women's clubs involved in the organiza- tion decided to continue lending a helpinghand. As its focus, the auxiliary set out to raise money for the pur- chase of much needed equip- ment. The list of items the or- ganization had donated is almost endless, but a brief list- ing includes a portable X-ray machine, a birthingbed, an elec- trocardiogram, and infant care unit. From November 1952 to No- vember 1969 the auxiliary do- nated more than $60,000 worth of equipment. Today, their an- nual donation in money and equipment totals more than $20,000 a year. It is an incredible feat for the group which is comprised of vol- unteersonly. How do they manage to raise such a substantial amount of money? Through sheer creativi- ty and ambition. The auxiliary has held fash- ion shows, luncheons, diminish- ing teas, and bridge and euchre parties, to name just a few fund- raising activities. The first fashion show was held April 14, 1976 in the high school gymnasium. Response to the show was greater than the auxiliary had anticipated. "After all the tickets were sold, we began tearing up strips of paper for tickets," remembers Ilene Pugh, the fifth president ofthe auxiliary. The organization raised $1,500 through the venture. Its present fundraiser is the penny drive. The auxiliary be- gan its Million Penny Project in June, 1991, and hopes to reach its goal of collecting a million pennies by June, 1993. At last count (September 1992), the group was well passed the half- way mark, having collected 588,374 pennies. One of its other great money- making ventures has been the tuck shop. First opened in September, 1969, the tuck shop continues to be staffed by a dedicated group of ladies from church and wom- en's groups. At present, 12 such organiza- tions take turns manning the tuck shop, including the Head UCW and the Grace UCW who started volunteering the very first month. The tuck shop has always been a financial success. Today, the shop averages well over $1,3001in sales each month. As well as providing a finan- cial commitment to the hospi- tal, the auxiliary also volun- teers its time to help with the patients. dicated volunteers Ps The Community Memorial Hospital Auxiliary is a team of hard-working volunteers dedicated to raising money for much needed medical equipment. One way the auxiliary raises mon- ey is through its tuck shop sales. Pictured above, Camille Cro- zier, tuck shop treasurer, organizes a display while Isobel Wil- son, tuck shop buyer, looks on. A candy striper (or teen vol- unteer) program began in 1971. Four teens were "hired" and each volunteer received a uni- form from the auxiliary and 75 cents for their evening meal when they worked. Duties included making beds, preparing the units for new pa- tients, changing flowers, help- ing with trays and feeding pa- tients who needed assistance. The teen volunteer program has continued successfully through the years. Ann Tielemans, teen volun- teer co-ordinator, reports one patient sent a flower arrange- ment to the hospital to thank them for such wonderful care. "The candy stripers were named first on the thank you card -- even before the nurses," Mrs. Tielemans says. Today, about 20 teens volun- teer their time at the hospital. Due to the success of the can- dy striper program, an adult volunteer program was launchedin 1975. By October of that year, 17 adults were involved in the pro- gram. Duties included filling water jugs, socializing with pa- tients, supplying the patients with magazines and books, making beds, and running er- rands for the patients. As their numbers increased, the volunteers were able to ex- pand their duties. With more volunteers on staff, they were able to take patients for a walk or wheel them around in their chairs, giving them a much- needed change of scenery. The volunteers also devised the Healthy Environment for Long-term Patients (or HELP) program. The program provides entertainment and socializing for patients hospitalized for great lengths of time. Along the same vein, a Take Five program was initiated. The program, which began in 1984, was formed to provide leisure activities for the patients. Patients interestedin the pro- gram gather each Monday and Wednesday morning to make crafts and play games such as bingo and euchre. "We have had many favorable comments from patients about | how much they enjoy the morn- ing," reports Wednesday morn- | ing volunteer Doris Hollinger. | "It also gives them an opportu- | nity to socialize with each other. | It is most rewarding for the vol- | unteers to see improvement and | a grateful, happy smile from the patients." It's been almost 40 years since the auxiliary formed. "Since those days, the auxil- | 1ary has been carrying on dili- gently supplying the needs of the hospital and patients, al- ways remembering that the hospital isthe sentinel that nev- er sleeps; its lights burn day and night around the clock; its staff works ceaselessly at the impor- tant job of restoring health," says Mrs. Dymond. The auxiliary is always look- | ing for new members. It meets | on the third Monday of every | month at 1:30 p.m. in the hospi- | tal. Anyone interested in knit- | ting, sewing, or volunteering | their time in any capacity should call the hospital at 985- | 7321 for more information. |