SOUTHWEST

DISTRICT

BOARD MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF

HEALTHCARE ADVOCATES

2014-2015

PRESIDENT

Barb Moran

PRESIDENT ELECT

OPEN

SECRETARY

OPEN

TREASURER/BUDGET

Dave Gawlak

CORRESPONDING

SECRETARY

Marilyn Ashdown

VP MEMBERSHIP

Pa& Oliver

VP PROGRAMS

Pat Sampsel

TEMPORARY

NEWSLETTER

Julie Stratos

COUNSELOR

Connie Garlitz

BY-LAWS/POLICIES

Marlene Sebas.an

LEGISLATIVE

Jan Robinson

AUDIT

Shirley Hale

HISTORIAN/PR

Sue Lewis

Volume 64, Issue 10 JANUARY 2015

Finally our Newsle'er is out, thanks to Julie

Stratos, re,red from CHC. Coldwater, so

appreciate her help.

By the ,me this reaches you all, Christmas

will have passed, and we will be into our

New Year. Hoping everyone’s had a won-

derful Christmas with family and friends,

good food, good conversa,ons and safe

travels.

SWD Fall General Membership mee,ng was

held September 18, 2014, at the Ba'le

Creek Country Club. Speaker, Jenny Lewis,

Allegiance Health spoke on the Hyperbaric

Oxygen Therapy, and speakers Karen Manney and Barb Barnes spoke

on senior programs in the community. Nerva Tripp, from Ba'le Creek,

SWD Volunteer of the Year, was introduced; what a very special lady

In October I a'ended the Fall Conference at Crystal Mountain. What a

beau,ful place, not only for the skiing I’m sure is great, but while I was

there the fall colors were spectacular. Wonderful food, great speakers

and workshops, and conversa,ons with other volunteers is the great-

est. It gave me so much pleasure to introduce our Volunteer of the

Year to a standing ova,on. Hoping more of you can a'end next year

at Crystal Mountain, October 12-14, 2015.

Healthcare Advocacy Day will be coming up on March 17, 2015; hoping

to see you there. It’s very informa,ve and keeps us updated on legisla-

,on on healthcare. Hope there is a representa,ve from every hospital

in our district.

SWD Spring General Membership mee,ng will be held March 19,

2015, at H20 restaurant (on the same lake as BCCC) at 315 W Columbia

Ave., Ba'le Creek. Mark your calendars.

And last, but not least, officer installa,on will be on May 18, 2015, lo-

ca,on to be announced.

Wishing you all a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.

Barb Moran, SWD President

BRONSON BATTLE CREEK, BATTLE CREEK

Joy Webster, Auxiliary President

Bronson Ba'le Creek Volunteers have had a very busy fall season. Our

annual Golf Ou,ng was held in September, we had over 80 golfers. Our

next event was our annual “Purse Bingo” party. It is one of our largest

events bringing in over 200 to win a beau,ful purse. Our $5 jewelry

sale is also a good fundraiser. All volunteers were invited to our Volun-

teer Recogni,on Luncheon. We had a lovely luncheon, awards were

given and every volunteer received a beau,ful rose. We are looking forward to a sheet/linen sale,

book sale and our Annual Trees of Love campaign and ligh,ng ceremony.

BRONSON LAKEVIEW, PAW PAW

Shirley Johnson Auxiliary President Elect, and Nancy Lueder

Our year started off with new officers. Our slate this year is President Shirley Hale, President-Elect

Shirley Johnson, Vice President Be'y Usrey, Recording Secretary Phyllis Mandigo, Corresponding Sec-

retary Louise Rigoni, Treasurer Ruth Wilkinson, Assistant Treasurer Sheila Powers, and Counselor Al-

wina Williams.

Congratula,ons to Shirley Hale who was chosen to receive the Presidents Team Award for 2014 from

Bronson Hospital. Each year one volunteer can receive this pres,gious award.

We held our first bake sale in February. Our annual Fashion Show and Luncheon and Used Media/

Book sale were held in April. Other fundraisers were the Parade of Homes in June and our Bakeless

Bake Sale in September. With monies from our fundraisers, we were able to provide the following:

2 Treatment Recliners – these will be used in our Acute Care Unit, so that family can sleep near pa-

,ents.

1 Stool for MRI Unit – This will be used so that parents can sit near their children during procedures.

2 Raised Garden Bed Planters – These planters are for our Behavioral Unit and they will be used by

pa,ents to plant gardens.

1 Treatment Chair for our Ma'awan lab.

$2000 for Bronson Lakeview Outpa,ent Center pa,ent care areas.

$2000 for Bronson Commons for pa,ent care areas.

We were also able to provide two scholarships

to students from the Van Buren Intermediate

School District who are tes,ng to become Cer,-

fied Nurse Assistants.

Our volunteers who knit and sew made hats

and blankets for newborns at Bronson Method-

ist Hospital and walker bags for Bronson Com-

mons. Several of our members were honored

at our sister facility, Bronson Commons, for

making “Hope Quilts” for Bronson Children’s

(Continued on page 3)

We make a living by

what we do,

but we make a life

by what we give.

— Winston Churchill

Hospital. There was a wonderful concert by the Portage Senior Center Band and the quilts were dis-

played around the facility.

Congratula,ons to our volunteers, they love what they do, and they do a great job!

HILLSDALE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, HILLSDALE

Judy Mielke, Auxiliary President

Hillsdale Community Health Center Auxiliary has had an

exci,ng year. We celebrated our 35th

Anniversary for our

GiO Shop in August with a raffle of a large basket of 35

items worth $135 and 35% discount for one week. Other

sales were listed on our website, along with pictures. We

were in the local newspaper with a four-column picture of

our shop. Jewelry, purses and plush con,nue to be our

big sellers. Time to present our Halloween items and gear

-up for Christmas.

Our Flower-Power bulb sale is in full swing. It is always a big money maker. Our volunteer hours are

all on the computer since July. Our membership is s,ll expanding.

PROMEDICA BIXBY HOSPITAL, ADRIAN

Jim Nickless, Auxiliary President

Autumn is finding its way to Adrian and the colors are star,ng to pop. With the changing season

comes the end of our Thursday Farmer’s Market. We had a banner year

and everyone will miss the fresh fruit and veggies and, of course, the

baked goods. We knew we were doing well when the supplier told our

Fund Raiser that on Thursdays we were some,mes selling more than he

was selling in his store. A big Thank You to Dilla Miller. She is that fund

raiser I men,oned. We also have had great success in Dill’s other fund

raising efforts. The Jewelry Sale, The Mother’s Day Plant Sale, Shoe

Sale, Book Sale and Uniform Sale were all good money makers. We are

now geRng ready for our October Fest on the 23rd

. We’ll have every-

thing you would expect plus Dilla and the ladies have asked me to bring

the camera. I hear they will be in costume, so I may have pictures to

share. Our Founda,on, with help from Mary Maxe and many other vol-

unteers, held the Graze to Raise 5k walk on September 13th

. Graze to

Raise is a fun event where families, individuals and cancer survivors can

enjoy some good food, take a walk and enjoy beau,ful colors of fall all

while raising funds to support the Hickman Cancer Center.

I cannot forget to talk about our giO store, The Li'le Shop. Our manag-

er Janet Lawrence has con,nued to add meaning to the word innova-

,ve. Lots of new products and we now have a Face Book Page at

(Continued from page 2)

(Continued on page 4)

Everyone can be great

because anyone

can serve. You don’t

have to have a

college degree to serve.

You don’t even have

to make your subject

and your verb agree

to serve…

You only need a heart

full of grace.

A soul generated

By love.

— Mar�n Luther King, Jr.

“Bixby/ProMedica GiO Shop”. Please visit our page and tell us if you “Like” it. If you are like me and

don’t even know how to spell Face Book. Ask your children or grandchildren, (I asked my wife to pull

it up for me.)

Lenawee County ISD and ProMedica have launched Project SEARCH at

Bixby Hospital. Project Search is a one-year high school internship pro-

gram for students with disabili,es who are in their 12th

or 13th

year of

school. It is meant for students whose goal is compe,,ve employment.

Students have three 12-week internships within the business to explore

a variety of career paths. A planning team composed of staff from Pro-

Medica Bixby and Herrick Hospitals, Lenawee ISD, Goodwill and MI Re-

habilita,on Services has been working since October 2013 to design the

program and choose the students to par,cipate. For the next year, Pro-

ject SEARCH will primarily be implemented at ProMedica Bixby Hospital.

Several volunteers, led by Sharron Kinel are puRng the finishing touch-

es on the “Baby Closet”. This is a program to collect, store, and distribute clothing, diapers, etc. for

the newborn babies. We want to insure that every infant leaves Bixby with the things they need to

begin a new life.

Last but not least, with inspira,on from MAHA, our auxiliary is developing a recogni,on plan for our

volunteers. Our first step was a plan to choose a “Volunteer of The Year”. We will accept nomina,ng

le'ers from other volunteers as well as Bixby Staff Members. Then at our first board mee,ng in Janu-

ary the board will pick a winner from the volunteers that were nominated. The volunteer chosen as

Bixby Volunteer of The Year will also be our nominee to MAHA for their Volunteer of The Year. We

also intend to develop programs to iden,fy and recognize other outstanding achievements by volun-

teers. This will not be easy as that is what happens every day at Bixby.

THREE RIVERS HEALTH, THREE RIVERS

Laurel Cordes, Newsle"er

Every November Three Rivers Health Auxiliary turns our

hospital lobby into a winter wonderland for the annual

Holiday Bazaar. In addi,on, the Snack Bar offers break-

fast, lunch, and dinner specials for shoppers. We also

have homemade floral arrangements and craOs, baked

goods, Vintage specials, a 50% off sec,on, and our ever

popular Grab Bags and Christmas Envelopes. Grab Bag

items are donated throughout the year, boxed, wrapped,

and labeled (women’s, men’s, infants, holiday, teens,

etc.), and sells for $1 regardless of size or content. Christ-

mas Envelopes also sell for $1 and are filled with giOs from our Auxiliary volunteers. Last year we

sold 100 Christmas Envelopes and over 800 Grab Bags which a'ests to their popularity.

(Continued from page 3)

(Continued on page 5)

It is one of the most

beau#ful compensa#ons

of this life

that no man

can sincerely try

to help another

without helping himself.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

LAKELAND COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, WATERVLIET

Diane Camfferman, Auxiliary President

Lakeland Community Hospital, Watervliet Auxiliary is excited to announce the dona,on of funds for

the pavilion that has been built on the hospital campus. This pavilion will provide pa,ents access to

the outdoors during their hospital stay, as well as providing a pleasant place for the staff, volunteers,

and visitors to enjoy.

We are beginning an extremely busy ,me for us as we have several ma-

jor fundraisers scheduled. Recently we sponsored a Swiss steak dinner,

and have our second craO show scheduled for October 18th

. We also

have a linen sale and book sale scheduled as well as our holiday Tree of

Love.

In the spring of 2015, we are planning to offer a scholarship to a gradu-

a,ng senior from a local school to assist with educa,onal expenses.

We have a group of volunteers that are croche,ng and kniRng lap robes for pa,ents in our rehabili-

ta,on unit and another group of volunteers is sewing tote bags used on the walkers. Both of these

items are greatly appreciated by the pa,ents.

HERRICK MEDICAL CENTER, TECUMSEH

Brenda Jacobs, Auxiliary President

We have had three fundraisers this fall; a $5 Jewelry Sale in September, a Linen Sale and Book Fair in

October and we are having a Germack Candy and Nut Sale in November. We will be having our an-

nual Bake Sale in December. Today, October 31, is our Employee Apprecia,on Day. This is some-

thing that we try to do every year at this ,me to show the employees how much we appreciate their

support.

Our GiO Shop is preparing for their annual Christmas Sale which is the first two weeks in November.

Everything in the GiO Shop is removed and replaced with Christmas giOs and sold at 20% off. As the

Christmas merchandise sells we start working some of the other giO ideas back in the shop.

We will be having a Harvest Gathering the first two

weeks of November. All the volunteers are asked to

bring in non-perishable food items that are then donated

to our local Tecumseh Service Club for families in need of

help for the holidays.

We started our annual Euchre Club that goes from Sep-

tember thru April. This is another one of our fundraisers,

plus it gives those that stay in Michigan for the winter

something to do. This is open to the public.

(Continued from page 4)

(Continued on page 6)

No act of kindness,

no ma&er how small,

is ever wasted. —

Aesop

OAKLAWN HOSPITAL, MARSHALL

Kathy VanDerMeulen & Cheryl McAuliffee, Auxiliary Co-

Presidents

Fall ac,vi,es are in full swing. We have just enjoyed a suc-

cessful fundraising Bunco Party and look forward to our annu-

al bazaar which will include many handmade craO items, and

baked goods contributed by our talented auxiliary members.

Oaklawn Hospital held and In-service luncheon which took

place in late October. This is a wonderful opportunity for the

hospital to provide updated policies and procedures and oth-

er per,nent informa,on. In addi,on we took the opportunity to offer extra training for our guilds

and a free flu shot clinic was offered. The event was well a'ended and worthwhile. We con,nue to

challenge ourselves to invite new members and fulfill the needs of our various guilds.

SPARROW CLINTON HOSPITAL, ST JOHNS

Ione Berg, Auxiliary President

In May we installed our new officers. We have a terrific line up of officers who will propel us to great

achievements this year and next.

Our Gals Fore Giving Golf Ou,ng in June was a major source of our fundraising for the year. Our

numbers were slightly behind last years but s,ll a very good event.

The new ER department has officially opened and is spacious, beau,ful

and very much appreciated by staff and pa,ents. We are on target with

our fundraising goals to support this great improvement.

The annual casino fundraiser enjoyed by all who par,cipated. Well,

maybe some more than others depending on how much they won or

lost. Always a fun and profitable event. We added a Chicago shopping

trip in December for a li'le variety to our usual fundraisers. Our auxilia-

ry is constantly coming up with new and interes,ng ways to change out

our rou,ne for raising money. We are pleased with the support for the

community, could not be this successful without their involvement.

ALLEGIANCE HEALTH, JACKSON

Cheryl Simone*, Auxiliary President

The Volunteers of Allegiance Health successfully completed their second year of the Summer Youth

Intern Program. 40 teens par,cipated in a 7 week program in which they volunteered in various are-

as of the hospital which not only helped them get exposure to possible healthcare voca,ons in the

future but also helped them gain the necessary community service hours needed for high school

(Continued from page 5)

(Continued on page 7)

Seek to do good,

and you will find

that happiness

will run a)er you.

— James

Freeman Clarke

gradua,on. Of these 40 teens, 12 have chosen to stay on

throughout the year to con,nue to volunteer. Teens had

an opportunity to work in the GiO Shop, Diabetes Center,

Substance Abuse, Surgery Wai,ng Room, Coffee Shop, Neo

Natal & on the Comfort Cart. The Comfort Cart was a new

addi,on to our Volunteer services this summer and pro-

vides small comforts of home to pa,ents free of charge.

This cart was so popular that it will stay on year round. We

recently completed flu shots, TB tests and CBLs for Volun-

teers in a fun forum with our President and CEO.

PENNOCK HOSPITAL, HASTINGS

Judy Kidder, Auxiliary President

Gree,ngs from Has,ngs and Pennock Health. The volunteers were treated to an educa,on session

followed by a wonderful lunch in October. It’s always a pleasure when CEO Sheryl Lewis Blake joins

us and provides a hospital update. Pennock will be building a new health care center so it’s an ex-

ci,ng ,me to hear about the plans. Thank you, Pennock staff, for making the volunteers feel a part

of the hospital.

Out latest fundraiser, Books are Fun, was held in October. Thank you to Sco' Quinn for coming to

Has,ngs again this year. The money we earn goes toward district and conven,on mee,ngs, and we

give a por,on to the Pennock Founda,on.

We have a new Volunteer Coordinator, Kendra Harthun, who started with us during the summer

months. We enjoy working with Kendra and look forward to a ling working rela,onship.

The Pen-Nook GiO Shop will have their annual holiday sale November 5, 6 and 7.

The Pediatric Guild #5 will be having a bake sale just before Thanksgiving. They also sell Rada items.

They will be purchasing needed items for the Family Birthing Center.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF BRANCH COUNTY, COLDWATER

Chris+ne Lewis, Auxiliary President

The CHC of Branch County volunteers have been very busy. We have

been raising funds for scholarships and our annual giO to the hospital.

One of those events was the Purse Bingo. This was a huge financial suc-

cess and very fun. As we finished with the Jewelry Sale, we look for-

ward to the Books are Fun and the annual Celebra,on of Lights event.

Our director, Julie Stratos re,red in September, leaving us sad but op,-

mis,c about her replacement. As always the CHC volunteers work

hard, not only raising funds but also making our hospital a pleasant

place to come for medical needs.

(Continued from page 6)

(Continued on page 8)

The miracle is this -

the more we share,

the more we have.

— Leonard Nimoy

EATON RAPIDS MEDICAL CENTER, EATON RAPIDS

Pa* Oliver, Auxiliary President

Halloween and Thanksgiving are in full swing in the Owl’s Perch GiO

Shop. We are eagerly an,cipa,ng the unpacking of Christmas merchan-

dise. The recent addi,on of popcorn has been a hit with all those vis-

i,ng and working in the medical center.

At our September mee,ng our auxiliary made the final payment on our

pledge for a pediatric colon scope for ERMC. Our next commitment is

to purchase a bladder scanner.

October 17 we held our sixth annual Gala at the English Inn. Guests

were treated to an amazing dinner and silent auc,on. “Three Men and

a Tenor” provided entertainment for the evening.

The date for our third annual Purse Bingo is Thursday, May 7, 2015.

Last year’s bingo ne'ed $3000 and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We will have informa,on on pur-

chasing ,ckets aOer the first of the year.

We are an auxiliary commi'ed to helping our ERMC through fundraising and volunteering wherever

needed.

SPARROW HOSPITAL, LANSING

Do*e Spousta

This autumn is an exci,ng and busy ,e for Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, plans are being worked on and

final details tweaked re the newly designed gathering space on the first floor lobby area of the main

campus. The cafeteria will be moved from the lower level as will the GiO Shop moved to a more cen-

tral and larger space. The retail offerings will make it convenient for both staff, volunteers and visi-

tors to stop/shop, grab and go. The architectural drawings are inspiring much excitement and an,ci-

pa,on for a 2015 opening.

A major fund raising effort has begun for Sparrow’s new cancer center which will be connected to the

main hospital and will offer a consolida,on of services for pa,ents with consulta,on, treatments and

suppor,ve services all under one roof. Much more to come and

we couldn’t be happier for Sparrow’s pa,ents and their families.

MCLAREN GREATER LANSING, LANSING

Peg Brown, Auxiliary President

Under the leadership of President Ray Elton, McLaren Greater Vol-

unteer Services had an outstanding year! The accomplishments

(Continued from page 7)

(Continued on page 9)

Volunteers are the only

human beings on the

face of the earth .who

reflect this na#on's

compassion, unselfish

caring, pa#ence, and

just plain love for one

another.

—Erma Bombeck

SOUTHWEST

DISTRICT

CALENDAR

OF EVENTS

March 17, 2015

Healthcare

Advocacy Day

Lansing

March 19, 2015

SWD Spring

General Member-

ship Mee.ng

H2O, Ba=le Creek

May 18, 2015

SWD Installa.on

TBA

June 9-11, 2015

MAHA Annual

Mee.ng

Grand Hotel,

Mackinac Island

October 12-14,

2015

MAHA Fall

Conference

were recognized at the Annual Awards Celebra,on held on October 26,

2014.

Our Volunteer Program is commi'ed to enhancing the quality of

McLaren Greater Lansing by suppor,ng a personal, posi,ve, effec,ve

and rewarding volunteer program that meets the needs of our pa-

,ents, their families, our volunteers, staff and physicians. To meet this

commitment, a total of 679 volunteer members contributed 86,542

hours during the 2013-14 fiscal year. Our fund raising profits exceeded

over $13,700. Our success is made possible by our greatest, most dedi-

cated volunteers, Debbie Quinn, Director of Volunteer Services and

Donna Duck, Manager of Peppermint Bou,que and Volunteer Services.

What celebra,on can be complete without awards! Pins were present-

ed to 22 volunteers who have served 3 years, 16 volunteers serving 5

years, 12 volunteers serving 10 years and 13 volunteers serving 15

years. The following were welcomed in the “Over 20 Club”; Norma

Avelleyra, Be'y Hall, Phyllis Handley, Mary Jo McCann, Robert Muir,

Marilyn Murthum and Clarie Sleep. Volunteers serving 25 years includ-

ed Doris Cuthbertson, Virginia Mackey, Dorothy Mar,n, Jackie Miller,

Ann Stephens and Clarice Struthers. Jaclyn Anderson and Dolores Bey-

er were acknowledged for 30 years of service. And, Barbara McKerr

was recognized for 45 years of volunteering!

Siray Taylor received our Katy Brown Smile Award. Siray has spent

endless hours volunteering at our McRee House and our Greenlawn

Camps Peppermint Bou,que. She has trained numerous volunteers

and always “goes the extra mile”. She also serves as the Secretary of

our Execu,ve Board.

The Volunteer of the Month Program was reins,tuted during the 2013-

14 fiscal year. Recipients recognized were:

November 2013 Art No', December 2013 Gwen Counseller, January

2014 Robert Bell, February 2014 Frances Wright, March 2014 Rodger

Brown, April 2014 Lorna Triple', May 2014 Sandy Diehl, June 2014

John Rhodes, July 2014 Sharon Root, August 2014 Marlin Mauer, and

September 2014 Dorothy Mar,n.

The Execu,ve Board Members for 2014-15 are: Peg Pawelek Brown,

President, Siray Taylor, Secretary, Nancy Meddaugh, Treasurer, Ray El-

ton, Counselor, and Sharon Con,, Legisla,ve Chair.

We look forward to another rewarding year serving McLaren Greater

Lansing.

(Continued from page 8)