Helping hand

If you’re looking for a worthwhile organization to devote your time to, look no further than Clarke County Hospital Auxiliary.

“The auxiliary helps enhance the hospital with what can we do, what can we help with?” said Karon Keefe-Dunbar with Clarke County Auxiliary.

The auxiliary works in conjunction with the hospital by raising money, making donations and running the hospital’s gift shop. It is volunteer work.

Gift shop

According to Clarke County Hospital’s website, the Clarke County Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop, Hidden Treasures and Treats, is located on the east side of the hospital. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are many gift items, cards and crafts for sale at reasonable prices. The snack area offers sodas, candy, chips, gum, cookies and various other packaged snack items.

The gift shop operates under the supervision of Keefe-Dunbar, who is the manager.

Mary Anne Rumley manages the snack shop. Volunteers work in the two available shifts during the day from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and from 12:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Fundraising

Auxiliary members also do fundraising throughout the year and check with the hospital to see what is needed.

Clarke County Hospital Auxiliary has been around for 30 years. There are approximately 40 to 45 people in the auxiliary, however, not all of them are as involved as others.

“We are proud of our hospital,” Keefe-Dunbar said. “We like to focus on it.”

If a person would like to officially be an auxiliary member, dues are $5 a year. People can still do volunteer work and not be a member of auxiliary, but it is preferable if they join the auxiliary.

For fun events, auxiliary members organize spring teas, bake sales and angel trees at Christmas time.

“That went over really well this year,” Keefe-Dunbar said of the angel trees.

According to the hospital’s website, Clarke County Hospital Auxiliary and Foundation co-sponsor a fundraiser during the summer with the annual golf outing.

The proceeds from the fundraising event go toward helping the auxiliary present four, $1,000 scholarships to Clarke County residents interested in pursuing post-secondary education in the health care field.

Information desk volunteers

There’s also a major aspect auxiliary volunteers provide when it comes to the hospital running efficiently — hosts and hostesses in information desk area.

With the hospital’s ongoing renovation project beginning construction in the spring, there will be changes to parking coming soon.

This could confuse a lot of people needing to go to the hospital and not knowing where to correctly park and enter.

“That’s what we need more volunteers for, with construction starting up again,” Keefe-Dunbar said. “We would really like people to volunteer for various (information desk) shifts.”

Volunteer shifts are between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more auxiliary and volunteer information, call Keefe-Dunbar at 641-342-3027.

According to Keefe, the hospital’s auxiliary has created a positive impact within the community.

“You couldn’t pay me to go Des Moines,” she joked. “Everyone here is always so great. This hospital is phenomenal. They know you. They greet you by name.”