Record-breaking year for LGH Auxiliary

BY ALBERT KRAMBERGER

editor@transcontinental.ca

More money raised and more volunteer hours logged than ever just about sums up the Lakeshore General Hospital Auxiliary’s annual report, presented last week.

The Auxiliary, around for 45 years now, raised $236,437 in its last fiscal year (March 2006 to February 2007), said president Sally Brown. The Auxiliary’s team of 278 volunteers plus about 140 student volunteers logged 47,700 hours.

“It was a record-breaking annual report for us and it’s the volunteers that make

it all happen. They’re a devoted team,” Brown said.

Of the grand total raised, about $187,000 will help purchase equipment for the hospital, from geriatric chairs to dining tables for patients, and another $25,000 was given to the LGH Foundation. Another $10,000 was slotted for bursaries to help nurses and about $15,000 is going to help local community organizations, such as Friends for Mental Health.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this organization and to lead it into all these areas of the hospital,” said Brown, who first volunteered with the Auxiliary in 1967.

Nick Di Tomaso, vice-chairman of the West Island Health and Social Services Centre, extolled the virtues of the Auxiliary.

“They’re my heroes,” he said of the Auxiliary members. “Some of their volunteers are 90 years old, now that’s dedication. They have even had to give out 40-year service pins before.

“You can’t say too much about them,” he added. “They’re the only ones that keep smiling through any health crisis and that’s not easy to do.”

Auxiliary volunteers now provide 33 services throughout the Lakeshore hospital. Some sell used books, some knit sweaters, while others work at the Windmill Café. Their book sales, at just $3 each, raised almost $19,000 last year, Brown said, adding the ‘Book Corner’ will land a permanent spot in the hospital in a few months.

The Auxiliary was established in 1962, three years before the hospital opened its doors to the public. To date, the Auxiliary has raised approximately $2.4 million.

While some Auxiliary members have volunteered for decades, new recruits are always needed, Brown said.

For more information on the Auxiliary, to volunteer or donate, call 514-630-2119.