2008-09 Auxiliary Scholarship Awards

Auxiliary Scholarships participants are recognized

The Saint Mary’s auxiliary awards a number of $500 scholarships each year. The scholarship is available to current hospital employees who are actively continuing their education in the medical field. Each semester, the Scholarship Committee receives a multitude of applications and recipients are chosen based on certain criteria.

For the upcoming spring 2009 semester, 11 employees from four different hospital departments were selected. Recipients from Russellville include Zach Mabry, nursing; Lizabeth Fitzner, nursing; Samantha Chadha, nursing; Christy Butler, nursing, Brandon Faulkner, nursing and Lindsey Harris, respiratory therapy. Chelsea Spears, nursing and Shonda Matayo, nursing, of Pottsville; Lydia Zimmerman, respiratory therapy, of Dover; Gena Hanney, nursing, of Scranton and Toni Daniels, nursing, of Rogers were also selected.

Committee Chair Bill Shirley was on hand to formally award each scholarship. “The auxiliary is always happy to assist ambitious and talented individuals in reaching their educational goals and potential,” he said, “and we were very pleased that we were able to award more scholarships this season than for any previous semester.” The 11 scholarships awarded this month are a record for the auxiliary. Members are especially proud to have had this fundraising success during a time when many students are finding it difficult to obtain financial aid.

Scholarship funding is raised throughout the year in part through monies received as profit from Compliments Gift Shop, which is managed by the auxiliary. Proceeds from two annual jewelry sales, sponsored and hosted by the auxiliary, are also donated to scholarships. Used books sold in the gift shop, ranging in cost from 50 cents to $1.50, are collected entirely through donations, and the community is encouraged to bring gently used books to be re-sold. The auxiliary extends a special thanks to middle-school librarian Suzy Daniel for her donation of the book rack used in the gift shop.

Some scholarship funding comes directly from the volunteers themselves, via a “Money Jar” that is passed at each monthly meeting. “Everyone is good about donating,” said volunteer Dale Boeh. “We give loose change or even a five-dollar bill here and there – whatever we’ve got.” Though the used book program began just this year, monies collected through book sales and the passing of the jar were in themselves enough to entirely fund one of the spring scholarships.
Scholarship applications are available at the beginning of each semester in each department of the hospital. For more information about Saint Mary’s Auxiliary Scholarship Program, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Lindsey Harris at 968-2841, ext. 0.

2008 Volunteer Excellence Award

Delphine Zydzik is presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award

The Christmas Tea ended with two very special presentations. Volunteer Delphine Zydzik was announced as the winner of the 2008 Volunteer of Excellence Award, and Scholarship Committee Chairman Bill Shirley announced the 2008 Saint Mary’s Auxiliary scholarship winners.

The Volunteer of Excellence award is given to an individual who consistently goes above and beyond in service as a Saint Mary’s volunteer. A winner is selected each year based upon criteria such as a volunteer’s responsibilities, the number of years given in service, the number of hours worked, and the person's overall commitment and dedication to the Saint Mary’s team. One comment received on Zydzik’s behalf stated “Her knowledge of the hospital and her diligence are admirable. She has shown a positive volunteer spirit over the years and is an example to many.”

Zydzik has volunteered at Saint Mary’s for thirty-three years and has given almost 7,000 hours of service. She clearly remembers her first day on November 1, 1975, and is proud to be the only “original” member of the auxiliary. “I was completely surprised and much honored to receive this award,” she said, “there are so many volunteers who are deserving of it.”

Volunteerism enables Zydzik to stay active in the community and work alongside her peers. “I have the time to give,” she said, “And enjoy the work I do at the hospital and the people I work with.”

2008 Volunteer Christmas Tea

Saint Mary's Volunteers celebrate at annual Christmas Tea

This is the season for giving, but for the Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center Volunteer Auxiliary, tis’ the season year-round. Giving thousands of hours of service each year to the hospital and our community, the auxiliary has proven itself an invaluable asset. With a current roster of almost 80, members expect to collectively exceed over 17,000 hours of service in 2008. Saint Mary’s was especially proud to honor its volunteers for their hard work and dedication this year at the recent Volunteer Christmas Tea.

The event was held midday in Saint Mary’s hospitality café, which was adorned with scores of red poinsettias and beautiful arrangements of red roses and bright green mums. A nine-foot Christmas tree graced one corner of the room, while nutcracker soldiers stood guard at the door and on the red and white clothed buffet. Luncheon plates were filled with country ham, smoked turkey and a delicious variety of dips, spreads, breads and crudités. Fresh fruit and decadent candies and cookies provided a sweet finish to the meal.

Hospital administrators Mike McCoy, Chief Executive Officer, Wendell Van Es, Chief Financial Officer and Patricia Dolan, Chief Nursing Officer were present to welcome volunteers as they arrived and thank them for their service and commitment to Saint Mary’s. Ceremonies were initiated with a welcome from Auxiliary President Clarice Cox. Vice President Evelyn Denton then shared inspirational readings and led the group in the Prayer for Hospital Auxiliaries.

Joyful entertainment was provided as attendees enjoyed their meal. Shirley Stewart of Russellville played the piano beautifully. Caitlyn Swain and Taylor Drain of the Russellville High School Chamber Choir sang “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” and were followed by a Christmas concert by the Bells of Joy Ensemble of the First Baptist Church, Russellville.

Volunteers new to the Saint Mary’s program were given a warm welcome immediately following lunch. Committee members were recognized as well. In addition to regular duty at the hospital, many volunteers contribute additional time to various committees within the program. The “Stamps for Soldiers” committee, for example, collects used postage stamps that are then donated to veterans’ hospitals. Wounded soldiers or those who may have suffered strokes clean paper from the stamps, which helps with fine motor skill rehabilitation. The “Christmas Stocking” committee makes and delivers hand-made

Christmas stockings to every baby born at Saint Mary’s in the month of December. Other committees include recruiting, scholarship and gift shop, to name a few.

The 2008-2009 auxiliary officers, who were nominated and took over their positions earlier this year, were also honored during the festivities. President Cox and Vice President Denton, along with Secretary Julie Daughtry and Treasurer Shirlene White each received a beautiful piece of crystal in appreciation for their guidance and leadership.

Merry Christmas!!

Jewelry Sale Results

Good Morning! We held our jewelry sale fundraiser this past Friday. Proceeds benefit the auxiliary's scholarship fund. Shoppers found a wide variety of jewelry and gift items for only $5.00 each piece. The sale raised a total of $799.00. The next sale will be set for sometime after the first of the year. Thank you to everyone who helped with the sale and to everyone who donated to the scholarship fund.

Jewelry Sale Friday!

Friday, October 24th Saint Mary's Auxiliary is holding a $5.00 jewelry sale to benefit the auxiliary scholarship fund. Along with fine costume jewelry, there will be a wide array of gift items. This sale comes just in time for Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers. It will be going on from 7:00 a. m. until 4:00 p. m. in Cafes 2 & 3. In 2007 the Auxiliary gave six $500.00 scholarships. They hope to increase the number of scholarships for 2008.

Saint Mary's Auxliliary Wins Award at State Convention

Saint Mary's Auxiliary was presented a Five-Star Award at the state convention in Little Rock at the Double Tree Hotel October 10-12th. This is the top achievement an auxiliary can obtain and was accomplished under the capable leadership of past President Sharyn French. The award was accepted on her behalf by current auxiliary president, Clarice Cox. Attending along with Clarice Cox, were Dale and Barbara Boeh.

September Is Going To Be Exciting!

September is shaping up to be a very busy month! We have a health fair on the 16th at the Fitness Center for Wildflower Retirement Center. The Volunteer Picnic will be Saturday the 20th at Dale & Barbara Boeh's home. A blood drive will be held in Cafes 2 & 3 on the 24th. The Grand Finale of the month is the Women's Life Festival on Saturday the 27th at the Doc Bryan Student Center at Arkansas Tech. It will be a very exciting and informative festival. We look forward to seeing all of you there! Thank you to all the volunteers who are giving extra time to help with all of these events!

End of Summer Celebration was held for our volunteens at Saint Mary's Wellness Fitness Center on Friday August 8th. Certificates for hours worked, Customer Service Awards, and the Volunteen of Excellence were awarded. 46 caring young people gave their service to the community for about six weeks. They worked a total of 1,863.5 hours during that time.

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesdays are a special day here at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center! This summer, we have our high school age volunteers, our Volunteens, and are pleased to have them . There were 46 teens that working this summer. We are very proud of these young people and the job they did.

Welcome to our blog!

Thanks for visiting! We at SMRMC decided it was time to take the plunge and jump on the blogging bandwagon. Blogs are a great way to communicate with a group and share information. Blogs also allow for interactivity: you, the readers, can comment on posts and share your thoughts with me and your fellow volunteers. I will update this blog daily with program information, updates and fun tidbits. Check the links at the right now and in the future for photo galleries of volunteer events, an application to volunteer, an area dedicated to our Volunteens, a list of our monthly activities, and our policies and procedures. Thanks for your dedication to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center! Without you, the hospital wouldn't be the same!  

Take Good Care!

Toni