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Bear
Lake Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
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The auxiliary is a wonderful organization
that donates many hours of time in service for the Bear Lake
community. Members volunteer for the hospital's thrift store,
complete many quilts, provide hand-made items for the hospital's
display case, donate hundreds of hours in planning and completing
the annual Snow Ball dance, and visiting and helping patients.
The hospital auxiliary contributes thousands
in cash and volunteer hours every year. The Idaho Hospital Association
estimates the current dollar value of each volunteer hour at
$14.34. The auxiliary reports over 9,000 volunteer hours annually
- or a dollar value of over $130,000. Those volunteer hours included: |
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 Manning
the Thrift Store, including laundry, ironing, folding, hanging,
sorting,
stocking racks and shelves, manning the cash register, inventory
control,
financial records, etc.
- Manning phones at the hospital - every
week volunteers answer incoming
calls, direct visitors, welcome patients to Bear Lake Memorial
Hospital
- Quilting - they're quilting hour after
hour, week after week, and they can't keep up with demand
- Providing handmade items for the display
case and using those items to create a
 continuously
changing, attractive display
- Snow Ball - requires hundreds of hours
of decorating, selling raffle tickets and
soliciting the prizes, selling tickets to the Snow Ball, baking
cookies for the event, even the clean up requires many hours
of work
- Distributing magazines, shopping for patients
and residents, visiting and
reading
Judy VanDeren
Director of Volunteer Services
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The Auxiliary's Mission Statement
is to
"Support and promote Bear Lake Memorial Hospital and its Skilled
Nursing Facility, their patients and patrons throughout the valley."
They do this very successfully
and in addition to the volunteer hours, the hospital auxiliary
continues to raise funds for hospital equipment and projects.
The auxiliary has over 100 members and
given what they accomplish, they need every volunteer. Hats off
to the state's finest hospital auxiliary - the ladies in peach!!! |
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Bear
Lake Memorial Auxiliary Thrift Store
 The
Thrift Store is an excellent way for the community to donate
useful second-hand clothing, appliances, furniture, and many
other items. Located at the corner of Washington and 5th Street,
sold auxiliary items help fund many hospital projects and also
provides a needed service to the community.
Most thrift stores smell like an old, moldy
closet, but the Bear Lake Memorial Auxiliary Thrift Store is
anything but old and moldy!!! As a matter of fact, it's one of
the more attractive stores in the community. It's not only neat
and clean, it's attractively decorated and the inventory is always
new and fresh.
Judy VanDeren, Director of Volunteer Services
at Bear Lake Memorial Hospital, is leading a visionary crew of
volunteers that make the thrift store in Montpelier what a thrift
store should be like. Part of that vision includes the fact that
the store needs to be  attractive,
well decorated, established in a prominent location in the community
and be staffed by pleasant, competent people.
The vision has been fulfilled and we have
a miracle in our midst. All of the profits go to support hospital
projects and its skilled nursing facility. Thanks to generous
donations of good quality clothing, furniture and housewares,
the thrift store is a great addition to our community. The thrift
store is so successful, that many of its donations come from
other communities and other counties. Many of its customers also
come from out of the county.
One of the interesting things that has
happened is that the auxiliary has become the source of support
for families with special needs. Several families who have had
a fire  in their
home have gotten a fresh start with clothing, furniture and household
goods from the thrift store.
The thrift store requires an immense amount
of community support and auxiliary labor. For instance, every
week auxiliary members donate a minimum of 66 hours - 18 hours
on Tuesday and 12 hours on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
This 66 hours of donated labor per week amounts to some 3,432
hours per year and the value of the donated labor alone is $49,215.
That is to say there wouldn't be success
without the generous contributions from the community and the
equally generous contributions of auxiliary members who staff
the thrift store. It is a miracle in our midst!!! |
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Annual
Snow Ball Dance
Each year the hospital auxiliary
holds a Snow Ball dance to "raise the roof and deck the
halls". Door prizes, refreshments and raffle tickets allow
for a great time for all every winter. Proceeds help the Bear
Lake Valley Health Care Foundation in completing projects such
as buying medical equipment or building remodels. |
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Everyone enjoys the atmosphere! |
 Having a great time is the name of the game!
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Bands like "Wyoming Thunder" |
Refreshments Galore |
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