Members of the Johnson Memorial Hospital Auxiliary were recently honored for the group’s long history of service to the hospital and the local community. During a special ceremony, Johnson leaders spoke about the history of the group, thanked current members for their efforts in recent years, and presented each one with a Certificate of Appreciation. Afterward, Charlotte Kulas, Auxiliary President, placed a commemorative plaque on a dogwood tree in front of the hospital.
Initially known as the “Hospital Aid Society,” the Auxiliary was first referenced in Johnson’s first Annual Report in 1914, almost a year after the organization was formed. Passages from that Annual Report are in quotations. “On Tuesday afternoon, April 22, 1913, a committee of eighteen ladies, representing the nine churches of Stafford, met at the Johnson Hospital, on the invitation of Hospital Management…and formed an organization intended to be the nucleus of a larger society, with officers and committees.”
According to the report, the members met on the third Tuesday of every month and average attendance at these meetings was 10 individuals. These 10 members quickly became kindred spirits with a commitment to Johnson. “While ten might perhaps be considered a good average attendance for a society of this size, yet this does not represent the average amount of interest and even pleasure which the members have felt in belonging to the society. Members have sometimes been unavoidably detained but none have been absent from lack of interest.”
During these early meetings, new friendships were formed, and a spirit of unity and fellowship prevailed, as members realized they would create the direction their service to the hospital would take. “As the entire membership was wholly unacquainted with methods and customs of hospital clubs, the society has had to feel its way into active existence and cannot report any great amount of actual work accomplished….”
Despite that assertion, the Auxiliary made some strides that first year. During the summer of 1913, members decided to hold a food sale and “solicited a contribution of jellies, preserves, canned fruits, and pickles from the housewives of the town and the response was very generous.” Over 250 jars were received including 70 tumblers of jelly, and 110 jars of canned fruits and vegetables, pickles, honey, and grape juice. The food sale that followed this collection resulted in $18.85 in proceeds for Johnson.
Another interesting element is that the first Auxiliary members spent part of each meeting sewing for the hospital. By the time the first Annual report was released, these efforts had an impact. “Thirteen mattress covers are in various stages of completion, a number of garments have been mended and repaired, besides the hemming of towels and the binding of blankets.”
Over the years, food sales and sewing projects were replaced by new activities such as golf tournaments and flower sales. The Auxiliary also managed and staffed the Gift Shop in Johnson’s main lobby for many years. All the funding raised through these activities went back to Johnson to support various programs and services. For example, Johnson’s outpatient Cardiac Rehab program recently benefited from the Auxiliary’s generosity with the donation of an additional treadmill and an additional “NuStep,” a recumbent cross-trainer.
“At Johnson Memorial Hospital, our Mission calls us to serve as a transforming, healing presence in the local community. The Auxiliary and its members have personified our Mission for the past 110 years,” said Lindsey Gamble, MSN, RN, Executive Director of Operations and Patient Care Services, Johnson Memorial Hospital.