University Hospitals St. John Auxiliary Celebrates Year of Giving

By Joyce Holod, Auxiliary President

The UH St. John Medical Center Auxiliary hosted a holiday luncheon on Dec. 5 at Avon Oaks Country Club. Members and guests enjoyed a wonderful meal and the festivities of the afternoon which included door prizes, raffles and musical entertainment by Giovanni Pescitelli from Chicago.

The highlight of the afternoon was the annual presentation of donations to various departments at the hospital. The Auxiliary Board and members of our organization work very hard throughout the year to raise funds toward our goal of being able to give back to the hospital and our community. Donations of over $36,000 were presented to members of hospital management by the Auxiliary Board members and our leadership representatives, Lynn Maitland and Penny Evans.

This group is very dedicated to the Auxiliary “purpose” of promoting the Catholic Mission and care of patients at UH St. John. The Auxiliary exists exclusively for charitable purposes, and I am confident our donations will make a difference at UH St. John and in the community.

There are so many people who spend hours doing what they do best…volunteering to help our organization! It would be nearly impossible to thank everyone who has worked in some way during this past year to help us achieve our Auxiliary goals. Many of our Auxiliary members spend the equivalent of a full work day at the hospital, including Ann Kullik, Treasurer, who is always willing to lend a hand when needed.

Most of our income is from the Auxiliary Gift Shop which is currently coordinated by Linda Whelan. There are volunteers working in the Gift Shop to stock merchandise and process sales, and others who assist with special projects at our very popular bake sales at the holidays. We offer candy, cupcakes and treats for Valentine’s Day; butter rings, nut & poppy seed rolls, strudels, chocolate pops & cookie treat bags at Easter; pumpkin rolls and pies at Thanksgiving; butter rings and pastries at Christmas.

The Auxiliary sponsors various vendor sales in the lobby throughout the year where customers can purchase bath & body products, clothing, jewelry, Tupperware products, uniforms, etc. We thank the public and employees of UH St. John for their support of our sales and projects.

Many members are very dedicated to helping the Auxiliary. One of our members, Caroline Grahovac, recently donated eight beautiful crocheted afghans to our organization. We are sponsoring gift basket raffles for these afghans. She has also donated so many crocheted doilies and table runners, and these items were sold at the hospital festivals. Our Board was pleased to present Caroline with a Life Membership to the Auxiliary and a small gift as a token of our appreciation.

Recent service projects to the community include providing a gift basket for the hospital United Way raffle, food collection for Westlake Community Services, providing holiday wrapping paper to Girl Scout Troop #70825 that is providing free gift wrapping at Great Northern, and a Hat & Mitten for ElCentro in Lorain. The Auxiliary will also be donating our portion of the 50/50 raffle drawing to this organization.

The Auxiliary also does some fun things including a pot luck luncheon, casino trips, theatre events, and our annual holiday luncheon. I would encourage membership and participation in our organization. Membership is open to all volunteers, staff and other interested adults. Members also receive a discount on most merchandise in the Gift Shop. Membership forms are available in the Gift Shop, and annual dues of $10 are due in January.

The Auxiliary presented donations to a number of UH St. John departments. These included $950 to Biometrics and Cath Lab for exam room equipment, $4,866 to Rehab for a new treadmill, $3,000 to 3North to remodel the nurse’s break room, $4,000 to Social Services Emergency Prescription Assistance, $4,250 for specialized nursing/patient support resources, $1,000 to Rainbow Child Services for patient support, $350 to rainbow for child-friendly activities, $750 to Critical Care Services for ICU and CCU break room improvements, $905 to Radiology Services for patient support equipment, $669 for Sonography gel warmers and $13,000 to Community Outreach for cholesterol, glucose and opiate awareness programs, educational programs and new blood pressure cuffs, $1,700 to the Volunteer Assistance Program and $1,200 in Gift Cares to Missions and Ministry.

Click here to view entire gallery.