April 3, 2015: Volunteers are the H.E.A.R.T. of CCHC Auxiliary, by Pam Campbell

What do volunteers do? Who benefits from them? Do they receive anything in return?

I don’t propose to know all the answers to these questions, but I do know that volunteers are very important and we couldn’t do without them.

Let me tell you about some special volunteers: the members of the Cloud County Health Center Auxiliary. Over the years, this group has tackled many different activities and fundraisers. Some of the most recent activities include holding bake sales, sponsoring uniform sales for employees, offering a scholarship to students entering a health care field, sponsoring the community Red Cross bloodmobile, serving a meal for health fair attendees, as well as holding various fundraisers.

And of course, the Gift Shop is operated by Auxiliary members. Volunteers in the Gift Shop provide additional services to the hospital by sorting mail, shredding paper and delivering comfort items to inpatients.

The Auxiliary’s main purpose is to support the hospital in any way its members can. Through some of its fundraising efforts, the CCHC Auxiliary recently purchased new equipment for the Cardiopulmonary and Lab departments and a new TV for the main lobby at the hospital.

So, who benefits from all this volunteer work? Patients, visitors, friends, neighbors, and the community all benefit.

And what do Auxiliary volunteers receive in return? The knowledge that they have contributed to the health care of Concordia and Cloud County.

Why join the CCHC Auxiliary? I asked that very question at their monthly meeting.

Some answers were:

“I wanted to get more involved with the hospital and know what’s truly happening there.”

“I joined to be more active with their projects so the Auxiliary could buy more equipment for the hospital.”

“I wanted to be involved in our local hospital and help promote what it does for our community.”

CCHC Auxiliary is connected with all the hospital auxiliaries in Kansas. They network and share ideas of what works in each of their communities. This year’s theme for Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas is “Volunteers are all H.E.A.R.T.,” and our logo spells that out: Helpful, Essential, Accommodating, Resourceful and Terrific.

CCHC Auxiliary volunteers are definitely all H.E.A.R.T. Come join and find the joy of volunteering.

— Pam Campbell is executive assistant at Cloud County Health Center and directs volunteer services. To learn more about the CCHC Auxiliary, call Pam at 243-1234.