RIVER FALLS, Wis. 5/10/2018 — The River Falls Area Hospital, part of Allina Health, is honoring its former Auxiliary members and the long legacy of volunteerism at the hospital by creating a new addition to its history wall.
The three new history wall panels, placed near the entryway of the hospital, pay tribute to the Auxiliary and to the many forms of hospital volunteerism in River Falls throughout the decades. That history began in 1939, when the City Hospital Guild supported the first hospital built by the City of River Falls. In 1962, the Ladies Auxiliary of St. Joseph’s Hospital was formed. After the City of River Falls purchased St. Joe’s in 1975, the two volunteer organizations came together to create the River Falls Area Hospital Auxiliary.
In 2017, the hospital’s Auxiliary voted to merge with its volunteer services department, creating one volunteer program to serve the hospital.
"While the structure of our volunteer programs continues to evolve over time, the people behind the work remain wonderful advocates for our patients and for our hospital," said David R. Miller, River Falls Area Hospital president. "By combining our Auxiliary with our hospital’s Volunteer Services department, we are able to continue growing our volunteer program and helping our patients have the best experience possible when they walk through our doors."
The River Falls Area Hospital Auxiliary has made many contributions to the hospital over the years, including equipment and furnishings; smaller comfort items for patients and their families, such as magazines for waiting rooms, sleep sacks for newborns, stuffed animals for children in the Emergency Department, and scholarships for area high school students going into health care.
"The new panels really tell the story our hospital volunteers and how they have helped our patients over the years," said Heather Logelin, director of Community Engagement and the Foundation at River Falls Area Hospital.
In addition, the auxiliary has hosted many hospital fundraisers over the years, entailing barn dances, house tours, quilt raffles, card parties, style shows, salad luncheons and pie sales. Auxiliary members also volunteered in other ways by making quilts, blankets, hats, port pillows, mammogram bracelets and more for patients. The group recently won a Wisconsin Hospital Association award for their work on a Dignity Quilts project. The newly merged group will continue many of these volunteer-led fundraisers and activities, and will also take on new volunteer projects at the hospital.
"It’s exciting to think about where our volunteer program will take us in the future," said Logelin. "Volunteering at the hospital is a fun and rewarding opportunity to help others in a meaningful way."
To learn more about River Falls Area Hospital’s volunteer program and see a list of current opportunities, visit https://www.allinahealth.org/river-falls-area-hospital/about-us/volunteer.
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A not-for-profit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 10 hospitals / 13 campuses, 15 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services.