Hospital Auxiliary has long, integral part in local healthcare
The headlines go back years and all tell a tale of support: “Union Hospital Auxiliary to purchase refrigerator,” “Union Auxiliary buys hospital blood unit,” “Loretto Hospital pays on hospital,” “Loretto Auxiliary gives scholarship.” The auxiliaries of Loretto and Union Hospital grew with the community, merged when the hospitals merged and today are a stronger force than ever.
The first hospital auxiliary formed in New Ulm was at the Union Hospital when it was built in 1914. The Loretto Hospital Auxiliary was founded in 1957. Today’s Auxiliary reflects the groups’ heritage and the original intent with its slogan “Where serving is a tradition.”
Since the beginning both Auxiliaries were vital to the success of the hospitals in ways large and small. When the Loretto Hospital Auxiliary was organized in 1957, Fr. Joseph Ettel stressed the need for the founding, saying, “We’ve been wanting a hospital auxiliary for a long time. We’re planning a new building and we feel that now is the time to organize an auxiliary.” The Loretto Hospital Auxiliary ultimately donated $12,000 toward that new building.
Both Union and Loretto Hospital Auxiliaries contributed greatly to building projects throughout history and that tradition has continued today. In the most recent capital campaign at to renovate and expand the New Ulm Medical Center Surgery Center Surgery Center, the Auxiliary pledged $75,000. In 2001, when several areas of the building were expanded and renovated, the Auxiliary donated $120,000.
Annually, the New Ulm Medical Center Auxiliary donates up to $50,000 through fundraisers like the Sweetheart Bake Sale, Fluff-n-Puff pillow cleaning, book fairs, a jewelry sale, the Holiday Happiness Sale and a quilt raffle.
But, through the years, it hasn’t just been the big-ticket items that the Auxiliary has been known for contributing. It’s many of the extra amenities that patients may take for granted that have been lovingly contributed by the hundreds of Auxiliary members for years – things such as knitted baby caps for the newborns in the nursery or cable television in the inpatient rooms (at a cost of $$6,000 per year). They also provide coloring books and crayons for pediatric patients and courtesy meal cards for fasting patients, oncology patients, EMTs and helicopter pilots.
Even the cup of coffee and a kind word in the Coffee Shop at NUMC is thanks to the Auxiliary. Coffee Shops were run by both Loretto and Union Auxiliaries from the inception of the groups.
In the early days, Loretto Auxiliary events included things like weekly bingo at the Armory (as a fundraiser for the hospital); organizing and distributing library books for patients; an annual Christmas Fair; hemming towels and sewing pillow cases; and monthly birthday parties for residents at the St. Alexander Home for the Aged. At one point, the Loretto Hospital Auxiliary ran a store to raise funds for the hospital selling used and new clothing and other items. The store was called the Good Buy Shoppe and was located in the basement of the hospital.
Across town at the Union Hospital, the Auxiliary also ran a Coffee Shop, held rummage sales, a Christmas Tea and the Fluff ‘n Puff pillow cleaning service.
Today, the NUMC Auxiliary has 220 members. For more information about the NUMC Auxiliary, go to www.newulmmedicalcenter.com, select About Us and then select Community Support/Volunteer Opportunities.
