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Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN 11 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Phone: 905-337-5560 Fax: 905-337-5571 e-mail: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com T Auxiliary makes life better at OTMH hey have wiped tears, offered hugs, baked jam, sewed curtains and raised millions of dollars to the benefit of patients at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH). They are the women, now the women and men, of the OTMH Auxiliary. Affectionately known for years as the Women's Auxiliary, it's turning 60. To celebrate, this is officially Auxiliary Week in Oakville. On Oct. 14, 1949, the OTMH Auxiliary was born under the leadership of prominent Oakville resident Lady Edith Baillie who held a meeting at her home and invited Oakville women to join. The Auxiliary began with 113 volunteers. Its members offered a variety of services across half a dozen departments at the hospital including sewing and mending, maintaining the library, a tuck wagon and operation of the central supply room. The membership has since grown to 531 adult and 143 youth volunteers working in 70 areas throughout the hospital. Collectively they contributed almost 82,000 hours last year. A series of events have been planned to celebrate the milestone, including a 60th anniversary cake cutting ceremony and a private wine and cheese celebration for Auxiliary members. The Auxiliary found its feet as members made jam and cookies for the hospital kitchen, arranged flowers and sewed curtains for all the new hospital rooms. They soon organized fundraisers such as the Garden Tour (1950-57) and Candlelight Ball (1957-75 and whose successor is now hosted by the Oakville Hospital Foundation), opening a gift shop and establishing the Candy Striper Program (1969). When the first male volunteer joined in 1970, the Women's Auxiliary changed its name to The Auxiliary to the OTMH. The Auxiliary also set up the HELPP Lottery, BINGO and completed a number of major pledges throughout the years -- contributing $6 million to OTMH. What began as a circle of dedicated citizens PHOTO COURTESY OTMH 60 years ago has grown into a strong multi-talented workforce whose goodwill and generosity ROOTS OF OTMH: OTMH Auxiliary members plant Centennial Year tree at OTMH in 1967. has touched every facet of care at OTMH. "They help us provide a friendlier, warmer, and a more welcoming environment -- whether they are greeting our patients at the information desk, offering them a warm blanket at the bedside or selling raffle tickets to fund a vital piece of equipment," said Pauline Mihok, OTMH patient care manager. "Sometimes they wipe away a tear, share a smile or listen quietly. They advocate for our patients, actively seeking out help for them as needed. They manage to light up our world and that of our patients. Quite honestly, I don't know what we would do without them." "Our program would not function as smoothly as it does without the assistance and welcoming presence of the volunteers. From organizing the flow of our outpatient clinics, assisting with follow up calls for our prenatal classes, putting together our prenatal packages, knitting baby bonnets and daily assistance with unit activities -- our volunteers are an essential and appreciated part of the maternal child `family'," said Cindy MacDonald, OTMH program See Auxiliary page 18 Open-Fit y Better Hearing Day g Open-House Open-Fit Open-House p www.montcalmaudiology.com August 20, 2008 October 30th, 2009 They are sleek, discrete, and comfortable to wear they really are hearing aids! Join usus for our August 2008 Open-Fit OpenJoin for our "Better Hearing Day -Fit Open House" on October 30, 2009opportunity to try these great new devices! 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