It is lovely to see the warmer weather, spring flowers and busy birds. Here are a few bits of Council news for you.
At our monthly Council meeting, we made some decisions on how to spend some of the money the volunteers have earned. We have chosen more than $650,000 worth of hospital equipment to pay for in 2018. We have also committed to paying for the spiritual care worker for another year, and also to fund a new music therapy position for a year. We feel that these services are vital for patients.
In 2013 we committed to spend $2.4 million to pay for the equipment in the new diagnostic centre that is under construction. Most of that money is still in the bank, but will be needed soon. The opening is planned for October of this year.
We have around 450 active volunteers in our seven units, and we are always looking for more.
In January our Gift Shop started using a new Point of Sale System and after a few startup hiccups, it is working well for us. We could always use a few more volunteers there.
The Thrift Shop continues to be incredibly busy. We are very thankful to the community for the donations we receive. We wouldn’t have a store without those. At times we could use some more “muscle” helping to move things into the sales areas. We cannot accept any furniture that two men cannot lift. We have about 22 people working each day, and they are very busy. Every so often there is a problem with the donation bins, and we ask the public to please donate when the store is open. Disposal of garbage is still the biggest expense. However, we have lots of wonderful items for sale, and we enjoy our volunteer work in the stores. We know how much the community enjoys our special Collectible and Christmas sales too.
In the hospital, there are volunteers who interact with patients. Those people must take a very short respectful training course and follow some specific rules.
Most of our executive positions change every two years. It feels very worthwhile to head an incredible team of about 450 volunteers who care for patients, and raise money for equipment.
At the April AGM we will be changing some of our Council member positions. My two-year term as president will be over. I have met a lot of people during my term, and have enjoyed learning so much more about our Auxiliary. I will still be spending time in the electrical area of the Thrift shop on Saturdays and attending meetings as past president. The Thrift Shop, Lifeline and the Hospital Unit will all have new Coordinators.
Thank you to the community for your ongoing support to our Auxiliary, and therefore to our hospital.
Yvonne Chard