Even though the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of their annual events and kept them from operating their hospital gift shop, the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Auxiliary continues to make significant donations to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The auxiliary presented a cheque for $30,000 to hospital CEO Greg Hoffort on Dec. 9. The money represents the latest payment on the new beds for the long-term care ward that the auxiliary agreed to fundraise for.
The total cost of the beds is $255,057; the auxiliary has paid down about $170,000 on the project.
Auxiliary treasurer Darla Wilhelm said they have received some estate donations, along with allocations as a member agency for the United Way Estevan.
“With us not being able to do any fundraising, it’s been difficult, but we’re hanging in there,” said Wilhelm.
In previous years, the auxiliary has held a spring tea and bake sale and silent auction, and a similar event before Christmas, but those were cancelled this year due to COVID-19. They would often make a cheque presentation to the hospital at those events.
Wilhelm said it was tough not to have the activities, because those are their top fundraisers of the year, so they hope to have a fundraiser of some type next year.
She’s impressed at how much they’ve been able to raise for the long-term care beds, since they only started working on the project last year.
“I am surprised that we are doing as well as we are, considering what’s happening right now. It’s always nice to see when people have memorials made to the auxiliary.”
St. Joseph’s Hospital CEO Greg Hoffort praised the efforts of the auxiliary, saying the one at St. Joe’s might be the most active and generous in the country with the way in which they raise funds for the hospital.
“I’m not aware of another one that does more for the hospital than ours. They’ve touched critical areas of the hospital in their last many projects, and we think of what they’ve done to retool our laboratory or our operating room or the long-term care facility,” said Hoffort.
“It’s just never-ending, and the pace at which they’re paying off on this project, it will be soon they’ll be reaching out to me to say ‘Better get another one in mind, because we’re wondering what to do next,’” said Hoffort.
When the hospital came to the auxiliary last time, it was suggested that the auxiliary replace half of the long-term care beds, but the auxiliary offered to take care of all of them.
These new beds bring comfort and safety for residents. They have bed alarms and even offer the ability to weigh the patients in the beds. And they replace old beds that had been there since the hospital opened nearly 30 years ago.
