The name has changed, but the purpose of the St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary has not.

Every year this group of citizens continues to provide assistance, promote hospital services and serve as a fundraiser in conjunction with the St. Francis Hospital Foundation.

This year's Auxiliary President Donna Holt said she joined the Auxiliary because there was a need for it, and as a little girl she spent a lot of time in the hospital — where her mother was an employee for many years. 

Along with yearly fundraising events, the Auxiliary runs The Giving Tree gift shop located in the hospital lobby. The gift shop is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, most evenings and several hours on the weekends.

"Additional volunteers are always being recruited to open the gift shop more hours," Holt said.
"We supply a need. We carry many gift needs at competitive prices, and are able to do it with no tax. All of the money goes back into the hospital whether with purchasing equipment or through scholarships."

These scholarships are awarded to those pursuing medical careers. Six scholarships were awarded this year. Emily Lipiec, Maryville; Cassie Merrigan, Barnard; Emily Schmitz, Parnell; Korri Schmitz, Parnell; John Seipel, Maryville and Heather Simmerman, Conception Junction were all 2008 scholarship recipients.

Two of the available scholarships are renewable.

Originally named the St. Francis Hospital Guild in 1955, that first group was responsible for supplying the hospital with two stomach pumps, one nasal suction machine and a fracture frame. It's goal was "to give assistance to the hospital staff, patients and their families and to  raise funds for needed hospital equipment and improvements."

Renamed the Auxiliary in 1976 the goal is still the same. The 2008 project is a two-year commitment to fund a pulmonary function machine for the respiratory therapy department — worth approximately $24,000. The group also purchased a movable coat rack to be placed in the meeting rooms of the hospital.

In the past, the Auxiliary has funded furnishings for eight of the hospital's private rooms, automatic doors for the hospital and Maryville Medical Building, ambulatory surgery beds and a birthing bed for the obstetrics unit.

Holt said the hospital provides the Auxiliary with a list of needed items at the beginning of the year and members choose which project to fund according to their resources.

The annual Auxiliary bazaar will be either the last week of November or the first week of December this year. A bake sale also goes on at the same time as the bazaar. There will also be a book sale in November, which Holt says is a major fundraiser for the Auxiliary.

New this year will be a jewelry sale on Nov. 11 and 12. Holt said Auxiliary members discovered it at their annual meeting, and thought it would be a good event to have — with each jewelry piece no more than $5.

With the help of Amy and Nate Klaas from Pagliai's in Maryville, the Auxiliary also gets a portion of money through coupon sales at the restaurant.

"They are such nice people, so wonderful to work with," Holt said. "They are very community minded, and the food is so good there, so it isn't hard to sell those coupons."

If people purchase the coupons and use them at Pagliai's, the Auxiliary gets half of the sales.
There are two memberships for the St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary. The first is active, which means members volunteer in the gift shop. The second, called an associate membership, means they still believe in the Auxiliary, but maybe don't have as much time to devote time in the gift shop.
"Both are valuable to the program," Holt said.

The next meeting for the St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary is at 6 p.m., Sept. 18 in the hospital's Hospitality Room. For more information, contact any of the Auxiliary officers or call the St. Francis Community Relations/Development office at (660) 562-7933.

Auxiliary officers are: Donna Holt, president; Cathy Barmann, vice president; Joan Marfice. treasurer; Kathleen Dolph, secretary; Nancy DeMott, recording secretary; and Penny Harbaugh, past president.