The Mt. Ascutney Hospital Auxiliary has been an integral part of the hospital for over 50 years. Its dedicated and committed members have contributed to hospital revenues through fundraising events, such as bake sales and yard sales, volunteer work, and the operation of the hospital's gift shop. Each year, the Auxiliary makes a generous contribution that helps support the vital programs and services at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center.
Over the years, the Auxiliary has contributed to projects such as the purchase of a mammography unit, orthopaedic equipment for the OR, new furnishings for patient rooms and the Nursing Homes sunroom, flowers for patients on their birthdays, and the construction of the Aquatic Therapy Pool, the CT Scan Suite, and many more essential projects and programs. The Auxiliary also offers a scholarship to help further the education of high school students who intend to pursue careers in the healthcare field.
The Mt. Ascutney Hospital Auxiliary provides an excellent opportunity to meet new people and make a difference for the hospital. For more information about becoming a member of the Auxiliary, please contact us.
Supporting our community hospital for more than half a century
In the late 1950’s, a group of local citizens formed an Auxiliary to help their community hospital through a year-round effort to raise funds that could be used to improve patient care, introduce new technology or medical specialties and meet other unmet needs within the facility. Officially incorporated in 1974, the Mt. Ascutney Hospital Auxiliary is still going strong. Amazingly, some of its earliest members are still active, still involved, still helping Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center to be the best community hospital in the region. Members of the current Auxiliary board have dedicated a combined total of over 300 years of volunteer service to the Auxiliary and the Hospital!
Auxiliary members raise funds through a variety of projects. The largest and most important source of revenue is the Auxiliary’s annual Membership Appeal. Throughout the year, however, additional funds are raised through a series of fundraising projects and through sales in the Tiny Treehouse, the Hospital’s gift shop run by Auxiliary and Hospital volunteers. Some Auxiliary fundraisers have been around so long, they’re now part of the local culture—just ask anyone who’s ever tasted the Auxiliary’s famous Apple Crisp or seen them at the Autumn Moon Festival in downtown Windsor.
“One of our most important goals is to help the Hospital stay up-to-date in its equipment,” says Karen Hill, the president of the Auxiliary Board. “Technology is advancing so quickly and getting so expensive, it’s not really possible for any hospital to keep up with it without a little financial help. And when you are committed to delivering state-of-the-art health care, as this Hospital is, you need the newest and the best. The Auxiliary is here to help make that possible at Mt. Ascutney Hospital,” she adds.
And that is just what the Auxiliary has done over the years. The Auxiliary has provided high-tech defibrillators – costing over $10,000 apiece and donated $20,000 toward the construction of a new Hospice Suite at the Hospital, enabling families to stay close to a loved one at the end of life.
“Each year our goal has been to raise money in modest amounts—but they have added up,” says Patricia Waite, past president. We try to stretch every dollar to do the most we can for the Hospital.” Nancy Loux, long-time officer of the organization, stresses that “We also make sure that Auxiliary funds are used for equipment that is appropriate for our community hospital, and for items that will be widely used to benefit patients.”
Over the years those funds have added up to over $850,000 and still counting! A complete list of the Auxiliary’s contributions to the Hospital and the community would go on for pages. But there is still more to the Auxiliary’s efforts. Each year, the Auxiliary provides scholarships to local high school graduates pursuing post-secondary education in nursing and other allied health fields, through the Auxiliary’s Deborah Peeler Fund. The organization also recognizes a leading volunteer for outstanding service to the Hospital and the Auxiliary each year through the presentation of its Volunteer of the Year Award, renamed to honor long-time Auxiliary member, Jeannette Lynch, who passed away in early 2013 after devoting more than half a century of service to the Auxiliary and the Hospital.
“Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center has always relied on broad support from community members,” says Kathy DeSchamp, Membership Chair. “We hope everyone in the region understands how valuable our Hospital is, how essential it is to the quality of life in all our towns, from Pomfret and Woodstock to Windsor and Brownsville, to Cornish and Claremont, and beyond. In the Auxiliary, we don’t take having such a wonderful facility in our community for granted. We know we have to work to keep it top-notch, and we want everyone to help keep it that way.”
Membership in the Mt. Ascutney Hospital Auxiliary is open to all; there is no set level of member dues. An individual can become a supporting member simply by making a “membership contribution” in any amount. Individuals interested in becoming part of the Auxiliary board and helping to build the organization, are encouraged to contact Kathy DeShamp at 802-484-7219 or by email at kwdeschamp@gmail.com.