Kemptville District Hospital Auxiliary presents cheque for $50,000 to the Hospital

The Auxiliary makes an invaluable contribution to Kemtpville Hospital, both fundraising for the direct benefit of patients, and providing volunteers for every area of the hospital

APRIL 30, 2012 – A short time ago, the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) Auxiliary presented Kemptville Hospital with a cheque for $50,000. The money will be used to buy a heart monitor, a defibrillator and a blanket warmer for one of the hospital’s operating rooms.

The Auxiliary plays a crucial dual role in support of KDH: both fundraising for essential medical equipment, and providing volunteers for every area of the hospital.

Auxiliary President Bev Carson presents a cheque for $50,000 to KDH CEO Colin Goodfellow

The KDH Auxiliary was founded in 1959 – before the hospital even opened. It is a separate corporation and a registered charity. The Auxiliary reports to the KDH Board of Directors, and has a voting member on that Board as well as on the Board of Directors of the KDH Foundation, the other organization that raises funds in the name of Kemptville Hospital.

Last year the 200-plus members of the KDH Auxiliary – men and women – gave a total of 11,500 volunteer hours to their community hospital. And as of March 2012, the Auxiliary had contributed more than $879,000 to the hospital since their founding. The Auxiliary’s support for the KDH Foundation’s Mammography Fund is in addition to this total – the Auxiliary has pledged $100,000 over four years to that fund and has so far contributed $63,000.

The Auxiliary provides volunteers for the hospital

The Auxiliary attracts and trains volunteers for the hospital and coordinates their efforts. Auxiliary volunteers can be found throughout KDH: at the welcome desks, in the ER, in the operating room wing, the interim long-term care unit, and at the coffee bar/gift shop.

Volunteers have different duties, depending on the area of the hospital they choose.

• At the welcome desks, located inside the new main entrance and in the ER waiting room, they help patients and visitors find their way in the hospital.
• In the operating room wing there are three new state-of-the art operating rooms with areas for pre- and post-operative care; volunteers here greet patients, offer them refreshment in recovery, and help out with tasks like making up stretchers or replenishing linen carts.
• On the interim long-term care unit, Auxiliary volunteers assist with outings, games, crafts, music, pet therapy, birthday parties and more. Volunteers here may also assist with pastoral care; after receiving training, they work with local clergy to attend to the spiritual and emotional needs of patients and their families.
• The coffee bar/gift shop opened in October, 2010 and has become very popular with both visitors and hospital staff. The coffee bar offers coffees, teas, and a variety of healthy lunch and snack items. The gift shop features a variety of gifts including hand-knitting and teddy bears.

The Auxiliary raises funds for the hospital

The Auxiliary raises funds for the hospital through the coffee bar/gift shop, the Tribute Fund (donations to honour the memory of loved ones or to celebrate a special occasion) and several fundraising events held each year. The profits of all Auxiliary activities are used for the direct benefit of KDH patients, primarily through the purchase of essential medical equipment for patient care.

The Auxiliary’s major fundraiser is “Hey Day”, a giant garage sale held the second weekend in June. This event, says current Auxiliary president, Bev Carson, has always received tremendous support from the community: “The entire town brings items to donate to the sale, then comes back and purchases different items to take home.” This year’s event, June 8 and 9, will be the 52rd Hey Day for the benefit of Kemptville Hospital.

Another annual fundraiser is a quilt raffle held by the Acton’s Corners section of the KDH Auxiliary. The Auxiliary will also be participating in the KDH Foundation’s “Kemptville Walks for Mammography” fundraising walk on October 13. This will be the third year that an Auxiliary walking team will raise money for the KDH Mammography Fund.

In addition to their planned activities, the KDH Auxiliary steps in where they perceive a need; for example, they recently purchased an e-reader for an elderly patient who loves to read and was having difficulty holding up a book. The Auxiliary also had raised garden beds installed in the hospital courtyard to provide patients with an opportunity for gardening.

The contributions of the KDH Auxiliary to the hospital cannot be overestimated. The $50,000 cheque recently presented by Bev Carson to KDH CEO, Colin Goodfellow, was double the amount the Auxiliary has contributed in recent years, thanks in large part to proceeds of the new coffee bar/gift shop. Goodfellow expressed his appreciation of the Auxiliary’s efforts: “Our hospital could not function without the ongoing vigorous support of the Auxiliary. And their presence in the building reaffirms for us every day that healthcare is a profoundly community based social mission.”

New volunteers are always welcome in the KDH Auxiliary. For more information, email auxiliary@kdh.on.ca.

About Kemptville District Hospital

Kemptville District Hospital is a fully accredited healthcare facility committed to building healthier communities. We are distinct within the provincial health system as a model of hospital-led integrated health services. We operate on two sites and provide primary care management services, acute care hospital services, advanced orthopaedic care and pride ourselves on being a good partner within the system. Kemptville Hospital consistently ranks among the top hospitals in Ontario for both patient and employee satisfaction.

For further information contact:

Jenny Read, Communications Lead

Tel: 613-258-6133 ext. 223

Email: jread@kdh.on.ca