At Rochelle Community Hospital, we believe in individual attention, and our volunteers help provide some of that individualized care. By becoming a member of the Auxiliary ($10 dues per year or $150 for a life membership), you can easily be a volunteer too. Right now, there are about 220 men and women serving as volunteers.
According to the president of the Rochelle Community Hospital Auxiliary, volunteers can possess a variety of skills. The Auxiliary will train anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer. Any help the volunteers can offer means less money the hospital has to spend and more funds they can use to continue providing quality care and state-of-the-art equipment. And that benefits everyone.
The Gift Shoppe is managed solely by volunteers. Open 5-1/2 days per week, the Gift Shoppe alone uses about 50 volunteers per month. The Auxiliary also provides volunteers to give third-graders tours of the hospital, allowing the students to visit each department.
Special events also require volunteers. For example, the Auxiliary has provided volunteers for bake sales, which are held two times per year. If a special project arises, however, the Auxiliary will provide the volunteers.
Volunteers play a big part in helping to raise funds for the hospital and buying items that might not otherwise get purchased. Each year, the Auxiliary, through volunteers and its members, is able to donate about $10,000. When the annual budget is reviewed, the Board determines what is needed and what kinds of things the Auxiliary’s donations can purchase. The money has been used to buy new televisions for patient rooms, recliners, wheelchairs, a treadmill, tray delivery service, a noninvasive blood pressure monitor and a Titmus vision tester… all thanks to the individual attention of our volunteers!
In addition, the Auxiliary supports students pursuing careers in the healthcare field. A total of six $1,000 scholarships, including the $1,000 Ward A. and Mabel Miller Scholarship, are given annually.
Click here to download the 2024 scholarship application.