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Auxiliary to CDH celebrates successes on Auxiliary Day

On May 10, drop in and thank any of the volunteers
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Susan Leslie, President of the Auxiliary to Cowichan District Hospital finishes posting the Auxiliary Day Proclamation from the Lieutenant Governor. (submitted)

Former lieutenant governor Judith Guichon has proclaimed May 10 as Auxiliary Day in British Columbia, and the Auxiliary to Cowichan District Hospital appreciates the recognition — but wants you to say thank you to the tireless auxiliary volunteers in person.

On May 10, drop in to the HATS store at 79 Station St. or the gift shops at the hospital or Cairnsmore Place and thank any of the volunteers that you encounter for their contribution to the community.

The Auxiliary has had much success in 2017. Last year was Canada’s 150th birthday, so the group set a target of contributing $150,000 toward health care in its many forms in the Cowichan Valley. With the 38,000 hours of volunteer efforts last year, they exceeded that target. Major donations toward sterilizing equipment and portable medication pumps, as well as smaller expenditures toward transport stretchers, lift chairs and wheelchairs, and a contribution towards the Hospital Foundation’s campaign for new cancer diagnostic equipment were the biggest winners. In addition, the in-house patient services to make hospital life more bearable, and bursaries for six Valley students entering higher education in healthcare fields brought the group to a grand total of $160,800.

The auxiliary also reserves some funds each year to assist in construction of the new hospice and the new hospital.

“It takes a lot of work, but we try very hard to make a difference, because our motto is, in part, ‘….care and comfort of patients and residents…’”, the Auxiliary said.

One of the primary revenue generating operations is the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Store (HATS) at 79 Station St. in Duncan, where the group prides itself on doing a little bit more to make their merchandise attractive and saleable. That includes laundering all the clothing and fabric items before they get displayed, and doing whatever service they can to shine up footwear. The HATS store celebrated its 9th anniversary on May 8, and since that’s the beginning of the week leading up to Mother’s Day, they are again operating a daily draw from store receipts. Shop any day from May 8 to 12 and be entered in that day’s draw for a chance to pick from selected prize options.

The Auxiliary isn’t sure what 2018 will bring, but there’s no shortage of demands on the healthcare system, so they are confident they’ll be able to continue making a difference.

“Many thanks to all our volunteers – especially on May 10 – Auxiliary Day in B.C.,” the group said. “And there’s always room for more helping hands, so we’d be happy to outline the satisfaction we get from doing our volunteer chores.”