Volunteer Services

Volunteers at OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group are special individual. Our volunteers range in age from 20 to 80+ and may be students, professionals, homemakers or retired persons. They are compassionate people who donate their time and their talents to help others. They help themselves grow personally, and sometimes professionally.

What We Do

The purpose of the OSF St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary is to assist St. Francis Hospital in promoting the health and welfare of the community and the patients it serves. Each year, St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary members and volunteers donate a combined total of more than 13,000 hours! Over 180 men and women give of their time and talents, helping in a variety of ways, including:

• Greeting patients and visitors at information desks
• Providing directions
• Escorting patients and visitors to various locations within the Hospital
• Assisting with clerical support
• Working in the gift shop
• Assisting hospice patients
• Installing Health Watch personal response systems
• Sewing stuffed animals for pediatric patients
• Communicating between medical staff and families in waiting rooms
• Providing comfort to patients and their families
• Raising funds to help purchase life-saving equipment for Hospital patients

They also raise over $50,000 each year to help purchase needed equipment and support new programs and services for St. Francis Hospital patients.

Becoming a Volunteer

As a volunteer at OSF St. Francis, you will enjoy the companionship and support of your fellow volunteers, as well as Hospital and Hospice employees. You will be part of our integrated health care delivery network, aimed at improving the health of our community, the standard of living and the spirit of goodwill enjoyed by many generations of Delta County residents.

It's easy to become a volunteer, and new members are always welcome! For information, contact Lanna Scannell at 786-5707, ext. 5516, or click here for a downloadable Application to Volunteer. Simply print it, fill it out, and mail it to the address listed at the bottom of the form.

If you have that special kind of dedication to become a volunteer and the desire to meet new friends and help others in need, we want you to become an OSF volunteer!

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering provides...

• Opportunities to meet new people
• Personal, caring services to patients
• An opportunity to learn more about health related careers and health care
• An opportunity to feel good about what you're doing.

Where Would You Work?

St. Francis volunteers serve in many areas of our facility. Every effort is made to place volunteers where their skills can be utilized and their interests met. Volunteer Opportunities include:

• Concierge
• Gift Shop associate
• Tour Guide
• Patient support person
• Home Care & Hospice volunteer

For more information or to inquire about becoming an OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group volunteer, please contact us.

Fundraisers

OSF Auxiliary members raise money for medical equipment, services and programs to benefit OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group patients. Each year they raise approximately $50,000 through a variety of fundraising activities, including:

• Bake sales
• Book sales
• Gift shop sales
• Pasty sales
• Uniform sales
• Auxiliary dues
• The annual "Lights of Love" holiday campaign
• The annual "Calendar Raffle"

Each year, Auxiliary members give money to OSF Home Care to help pay Health Watch fees for those unable to afford them. They also purchase needed equipment for OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group patients. Past items they have purchased include:

• Surgical instruments
• Electronic doors for the Hospital front entrance
• Wheelchairs
• Patient reclining chairs
• A hand hygiene educational glow light
• Display boards for community education
• Bone density unit
• An oversized hospital bed
• Gastroenterology (GI) equipment
• Computer software for the new patient "room service" program

They also gave generously to a community campaign in 2000 that raised funds for the OSF dialysis center, and in 2005 to help renovate the Hospital's birthing suites.

Annual Lights of Love

The OSF St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary is again sponsoring its annual Lights of Love fundraiser. The Lights of Love fundraiser is an ideal opportunity to remember those we love during the holiday season and contribute to a very worthwhile cause. The light you purchase in recognition of a friend or loved one will shine during the Christmas season on the Lights of Love trees, located just east of the hospital entrance on U.S. Highway 41.

Funds raised during this campaign are used to purchase needed hospital equipment. The cost of each light remains $3.00 for each individual recognized. If you are interested in purchasing a light, click here to download a PDF you may complete and return to OSF St. Francis Hospital.

For more information, please call 906-786-5707, ext. 5516.

History

The history of the OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group Auxiliary began Feb. 2, 1955, when a group of 48 women met with the intent of organizing an auxiliary for the hospital.

Mrs. George Bartley presided and introduced Sister M. Borromea Suplicka, then Sister Superior. Sister Borromea explained the need for an auxiliary and told of the work done by other auxiliaries with which she had been associated. Following these talks, the group expressed a desire to organize. Meeting dates were set for the first Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. at the hospital. A nominating committee was appointed and a tour of the hospital followed. The meeting was then adjourned.

The first officers were elected March 2, 1955. Marina Chapekis was the first president and is still a member today. Dues were $1.00 per year. By-laws were provided by the American Hospital Association. In December 1960, volunteers took over running and staffing the hospital gift shop, which now raises approximately $30,000 each year for new patient equipment.

The OSF Auxiliary & Volunteer Program has grown over the years, with more than 200 members to date. Members marked their 40th anniversary in 1995 with a special cookbook called "40 Years and Still Cooking" and featuring homemade recipes from past and current members. In 2005, the Auxiliary celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking the occasion with a 2006 calendar featuring vintage and vintage-looking photos featuring Auxiliary members from the past and present. They also hosted the Upper Peninsula District of Healthcare Advocates fall meeting in September 2005; theme was "Laughter is the Best Medicine."

The group continues to meet the first Wednesday of each month in the Hospital Conference Rooms. Officers are:

• Lilyan Sauve, President
• Carol Marenger, Vice President
• Chris Heller, Secretary
• Phyllis Haglund, Treasurer
• Dorothy Zeno, Member at Large
• Shirley White, Counselor
• Lanna Scannell, Director of Volunteers