Auxiliary celebrates 50 years
Siloam Springs Hospital Auxiliary will celebrate 50 years of serving the local hospital next month.
The auxiliary’s official 50th birthday was June 27, according to Donna Conger, the current president of the auxiliary; however the auxiliary does not meet during the summer and it hosted a district meeting in the fall, according to Lesa Tucker, volunteer coordinator for Northwest Health. A private reception to celebrate the milestone will be held in February, said Tucker.
Auxiliary volunteers work throughout the hospital doing many jobs from answering the phones and greeting visitors at the information desk to assisting the radiology and surgery departments by escorting patients and guests to the correct department, to waiting rooms and to the lobby, according to the job descriptions section of the auxiliary’s handbook. The auxiliary also offers scholarships to adults seeking a career in the medical field. Anyone wishing to apply for a scholarship may pick up an application at the front desk of the hospital.
The Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Inc. started in 1969 with about 30 women who met at the First Methodist Church on July 22, according to a document titled “History of Siloam Springs Hospital Auxiliary.” An open house was held on Aug. 17 of that year and a membership drive booth was put in the lobby of the hospital to sign up prospective members, the history states.
The hospital board appointed the first officers of the auxiliary, including Mrs. William Caudell, president; Mrs. Railey Steele, first vice president; Mrs T.W. Akins, second vice president; Mrs. Lillian Sours, recording secretary; Mrs. George Williams, corresponding secretary; and Mrs J.W. Creath, treasurer, the history states.
The auxiliary’s first project involved loaning out 23 radios and 11 transistor radios to patients who requested them, the packet states. The holiday season had the volunteers making sure that each door in the hospital had a decoration and placing two Christmas trees in the lobby, the history states. The auxiliary hosted an awards luncheon in July of 1970 with 13 members receiving pins for having given 100 hours of service or more during that first year, the history states.
In 2009, the hospital was sold to Community Health Systems, a for-profit hospital chain, and a new auxiliary formed under the name Siloam Springs Hospital Auxiliary Inc., the history states.
Over the years the local auxiliary distinguished itself by being the home to several past state auxiliary presidents, including Ann Clark and Sharon Flyer according to Nancy Van Poucke, a volunteer who also runs the hospital’s gift shop. In October of 2011, the auxiliary received an In-Hospital Service Award for its Lunch Tray Delivery Service Program, according to an article in the Herald-Leader on Oct. 26, 2011.
When asked about the early days, Sara Treftz, who has been a member of the auxiliary since 1995, remembers a time when everyone was more like family.
“It was different,” Treftz said. “Everything was real friendly. We were allowed to tell friends when somebody was in the hospital. You can talk to anybody about everything. It was a close group of people.”
Riet DeGidts, who is the longest serving member of the auxiliary echoed those sentiments.
“It was easy,” DeGidtz said. “We could talk about everything and everybody. It was fun. It was a family atmosphere.”
DeGidts has been in the auxiliary since 1973 and was the chairwoman of the tray program. Treftz was recognized as Auxilian of the Year in 2007.
When asked about the future, Conger said that the auxiliary is looking for volunteers.
“We always need new members. We need new volunteers to keep everything going smoothly,” said Conger.
Anyone wishing to volunteer may stop by the hospital to pick up an application at the front desk, Conger said.