CMH Auxiliary

Officers

Susie Gustafson, President
Susan Stradling-Barrett, Vice President
Colleen Bogan, Secretary
Leslie Lollman, Treasurer

Directors

Barbara Albrecht, Hamilton
Philip Bisselle, Hamilton
Alice Lahue Davis, Hamilton
Carolyn Dearnaley, Hamilton
Kathy Felton, Hamilton
Kathy Haire, Hamilton
Joan Keefe, Earlville
Betty Knapp, Hamilton
Daniel Koehl, Morrisville
Margaret Miller, Hamilton
Marilyn Poupore, Hamilton
Art Steneri, Hamilton

The goal of the Auxiliary is to provide additional value to the healthcare services, paying special attention to making a patient’s experience just that much better.

Whether it is providing a Boo-Boo Bear for a child requiring hospital services, having an ample supply of magazines and books to help a patient pass the time or keeping the vending machines fully stocked so visitors can find refreshments, the Auxiliary volunteers take it upon themselves to ensure the extras are available.

The Auxiliary has also become a fixture of community life through annual events it sponsors. The December Tea and Sale (the first Saturday of the month in the First Baptist Church) features handcrafts and artworks and has become a holiday season tradition. The Fourth of July hot dog stand nourishes visitors to the Village Green, drawn by the Farmers Market and parade and there is an annual spring volunteer recognition luncheon to honor all who donate their time and expertise to Community Memorial. The Auxiliary also has hosted welcoming receptions for new physicians who are able to meet community members in an informal setting.

This year the Auxiliary will publish a cookbook. More than 400 recipes have been collected from friends and staff of the hospital. Also included will be vintage recipes, a sampling of the finest dishes from two earlier cookbooks that were created to support Community Memorial; 1948 and 1962 editions of "Chenango Valley Recipes." The new book will be available at the Holiday Sale and Cafe, the hospital gift shop and from Auxiliary members.

One of the oldest traditions is the Auxiliary’s Membership Drive, which is now known as the Auxiliary Appeal. The organization, which was formed shortly after the hospital opened in 1952, first met at a tea where a membership fee of one dollar was collected from each attendee. For years Auxiliary fundraisers went door to door as part of the drive.

The major goal of the Auxiliary’s fundraising this year is the furnishings for the Hamilton Family Health Center. The 5,500 square building, which opened in November 2006, is just south of the parking lot behind the hospital. The center has space to accommodate three physicians and Community Memorial is already recruiting to add a second specialist in family practice.

"The Auxiliary is a support system represented by volunteers from all our neighboring communities dedicated to strengthening the mission statement of the hospital," says the group’s president Susie Gustafson. "Women, and now men, accomplish this in a variety of ways but always with an eye toward the comfort of patients and their sense of well-being."