The number was already impressive to begin with, but it became even more so when all involved looked at the big picture.
That’s the consensus feeling regarding the $105,000 cheque the Sturgeon Hospital Auxiliary Volunteer Association (SHAVA) presented a few weeks ago to representatives of the Sturgeon Community Hospital. That amount brings the group’s cumulative total of donations to about $2.25 million over its 41-year history.
“That’s fabulous,” said Sherry Martineau, SHAVA’s acting president. “We’ve donated a lot of material things to the hospital, a lot of equipment over the years.”
Representatives from the hospital were unavailable for comment.
Martineau said it’s in her blood to help out. Not only was she a former employee, (“I was one of the first employees [at the Sturgeon General Hospital]. That was a lot of fun,”), her father was also on the original hospital board.
While she misses the camaraderie of the staff, she still works to make sure that the newer facility has everything it needs to not only run smoothly but also provide the best possible patient care.
The group fundraises partly through events like the Mayor’s Walk, a garage sale and market days but does most of its business through its two volunteer-run stores: the SHAVA Gift Shop at the hospital and the SHAVA Bookstore in Grandin Mall.
The former has seen sales suffer in recent months and years. The gift shop was relegated to the lower level from the main lobby due to the ongoing construction. That work is reportedly due to wrap up late this year or early in 2012.
Because of this, SHAVA’s annual donations to the hospital have dwindled from a peak of $175,000 in 2009 to $125,000 last year to this year’s $105,000.
The bookstore, on the other hand, always does well, bringing in about $5,000 each month.
“It’s amazing! We have such a following, it’s just incredible!”
She said the recent donation was earmarked for a new treadmill in the hospital’s cardiac clinic as well as hydraulic lifts for patients who can’t get from and to sitting or lying positions.
Martineau said that otherwise the group is focusing its sights on rebuilding its volunteer corps when the gift shop re-opens. She said they hope to have the store open for longer hours as well.
If anyone is interested in volunteering for SHAVA or needs information about donations, call Betty Lynn Zukewich, the hospital’s co-ordinator of volunteer services, at 780-418-7375.
