Auxiliary supporting BMH through gift shop
When a patient came in the Brady Street entrance to Butler Memorial Hospital, they typically would be greeted by a member of the hospital auxiliary, who would escort them to the department the patient needed.
Those same members also would help people at the hospital gift shop or be a patient’s chaplain if requested.
Those members of the Butler Memorial Hospital Auxiliary were missed by medical professionals when the hospital implemented COVID-19 policies in March 2020.
“I feel like we're a ray of sunshine for them, because they are here so long,” said Maura West, president of the Butler Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. “A lot of times they just come into the gift shop because that’s like a stress reliever for them.”
The auxiliary has been in existence for nearly 125 years, according to volunteer coordinator and longtime member Kay Huemme. The organization provides volunteer assistance to the hospital and even donates money from the gift shop to hospital departments in need.
Huemme, who has been involved with the auxiliary for about 40 years, said the group has some 90 volunteers, far from the nearly 200 prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Some of the places we volunteer are the gift shop, and that involves about 80 volunteers,” Huemme said. “We did ask members to give at least 100 hours a year.”
The auxiliary was started as the women’s auxiliary, but the name changed around 2014, according to Huemme. Although the group has been in existence for more than 100 years, the “modern” auxiliary dates ti around 1945, she said.
“It started in the bed closet up on the second floor with a couple of stools to sit upon, and I believe the auxilians provided pies, and it was meant for families and doctors and patients to stop in and buy some coffee or pie,” Huemme said. “That evolved into the hostess shop, which is now totally closed. We do still have the gift shop.”
Huemme said the auxiliary donated about $100,000 to the hospital in 2019, money raised through the gift shop and the group’s other programs.
In addition to the gift shop and volunteers provided by the auxiliary, the auxiliary also sponsored the Candy Stripers, a group for high school students to join. The Candy Stripers were active until the coronavirus pandemic, and Huemme said the auxiliary is still looking for a way to restart the program.
Candy Stripers were popular among students looking for volunteer work or those with an interest in the health care field.
“We had a very vibrant Candy Striper program, usually I think there were 60 girls and guys,” Huemme said. “One year, about six years ago, … every single Candy Striper went on to nursing school.”
Huemme said she was invited by a friend in the auxiliary to join the group, which initially was a way to stay busy when she wasn’t working her substitute teacher job, and she stayed with it.
“I would say it was the friendships. I stayed because it was something I thought was positive for people in the hospital,” Huemme said. “And chocolate candy is important.”
West has been involved with the auxiliary for about seven years, after Huemme invited her to join.
She said the work at the hospital has been fulfilling, especially since her retirement.
“I came in when I retired because I thought this was a worthwhile place to volunteer,” West said.
The gift shop is near the Brady Street entrance of the hospital and is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The auxiliary also has monthly board meetings. Huemme said the group has about four meetings a year, and every member is encouraged to attend, as well as one required in-service day.
Since the auxiliary returned to the hospital in May, Huemme and West have been busier than usual trying to keep the gift shop shelves stocked for the fall and winter holidays.
“As far as volunteer hours for us, we can't really count them,” West said.
The auxiliary has been trying to rebuild its staff since many members have become unavailable due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Dillon Stein, director of the Division of Palliative Care at Butler Health System, said the auxiliary’s absence was noticed by hospital staff and patients over the past two years.
“It was something we really, really missed during COVID,” Stein said. “We’re really glad to have them back.”
The sentiment was shared by West and Huemme, who each said they have become friends and almost family with many of the hospital employees. Huemme said she hopes to fill a similar role to the hospital employees she encounters.
“I can't tell you last names of employees, I can tell you first names,” Huemme said. “They are so friendly; they’ll come in and ask about, ‘How are you, what have you been doing since COVID.’
“I feel like I'm a tiny little part of this big family.”
For information on the hospital auxiliary, or to apply, visit butlerhealthsystem.org/about-us/volunteer-opportunities.
This article was originally published in Butler Business Matters.
