On May 6th, over thirty Headwaters Health Care Auxiliary (Auxiliary) members attended their General Meeting. The Auxiliary, with a membership of over 200 active members, has seen a lot of change in the past several years. Their in-hospital volunteering stopped due to pandemic regulations. This also meant a nearly two-year delay in reopening their newly renovated café and gift shop.
Reports were provided by Interim President, Mike Carter and Treasurer, Linda Jameson, Volunteer Lead, Nadine Walters and Sophie Graham, from Seconds Count Thrift Shop.
Seconds Count
Their Orangeville community-thrift shop, Seconds Count, locally dubbed the Holt Renfrew of Thrift Shops, was very successful despite pandemic closures.
In 2019 Seconds Count raised $288,754 and was open for 50 weeks, seven hours a day, six days a week.
In 2020 they were closed for six and a half months, having to comply with COVID-19 protocols. The store was open five hours a day, with only five customers allowed in at a time. This meant for some long line ups outside! Still they brought in $88,143 that year.
And in 2021, they were closed for five and a half months, and when open, they extended their hours to seven hours a day. They were able to raise $177,192.
Seconds Count has a volunteer management committee and has an active roster of about 65 volunteers who work anywhere from one to two shifts a week. They were also successful in receiving rent subsidies through the Federal Government’s programs of $16,000.
The Auxiliary held a successful donation drive for Seconds Count at the hospital to celebrate the hospital’s 25th Anniversary on the Rolling Hills site.
In-hospital volunteer update
Nadine Walters, volunteer lead, is completing the next several rounds of returning hospital volunteer orientations. Soon information desk/patient escort and other program-level volunteers will be able to join the Diagnostic Imaging and Chemotherapy volunteers. The gift shop/café are expected to open over the next couple of months, with a new name thanks to a staff naming contest and some input as to what staff would be interested in at the Gift Shop, with excellent results from a recent survey. Gloria, who returned to volunteering said she’s so happy to be back. She gets time to talk to patients and support the nursing staff. She said it gives her also a sense of purpose and she’s extremely happy to be back onsite.
Nadine is also actively recruiting new volunteers. To find out more, email: auxcoord@headwatershealth.ca or call 519-941-2410 extension 2268.
**
The following Axillary Members were remembered:
Rilla Daly; Harvey McClelland; Ruth Reid; Sue Fletcher; Marita Bainbridge; Elsie King (Horsburgh); Ann Mullen; June French; Richard Pollard; Richard Forbes; Gail Davison; Roy Boehnert; Jay French; Connie MacDougall; Rob McMahon; Marian James; Diane Easton and Marilyn Taylor.
**
Grants to the Foundation
The Auxiliary’s fundraising is granted to the hospital through the Headwaters Health Care Foundation.
Below is a list of the grants to the Foundation over the past couple of years.
2019-2020 total of $683,283 granted
Urology Unit, $131,000
Lobby renovations $250,000
ER Mental Health Safe Room $25,000
Upgrade to Triage & Ambulance ER $60,000
Cardiac/Telemetry Area & Equipment ER $100,000
Anaesthetic Machine $103,000
Cast Saw – Inpatient/Outpatient $6,000
Ice Machine - $7,783
Lottery donation – general funds $500
2020-2021 Total Granted $469,600
COVID-19 Equipment – 143,000
Surgical Camera - $94,000
Polarzubg Microscope - $26,000
Surgical Eye Microscope - $206,000
General donation from lottery - $100