Community Memorial Hospital and nearly all of its Auxiliary members honored 71 women and men who together have donated thousands of hours of service to hospital patients and their families.

Volunteers who have reached levels ranging from 100 hours to 45 years over the course of their years of service for CMH were celebrated at the annual Auxiliary Meeting and Awards Luncheon. CMHS held the event on Feb. 8 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Ventura. This year’s theme was: “Volunteering Expands Our Horizons.”

Special honors went to Genevieve Basso for 45 years of volunteer service, Judy Franklin for 30 years of service and Shelby Bauer for 20 years of service.

Judy Miller was recognized for giving 19,000 hours over her years of service; Clara Alviani for giving 13,000 hours; Beverly Brown, Ruth Downey, Angelina Hall and Katie Weldon for each giving 9,000 hours; Ray Cavallero and Marjo Gardner for each giving 8,000 hours; Edie Marshall for giving 6,000 hours; Connie Ferritto, Frances Reed, Iris Schulman and Marlene Sturgell for giving 5,000 hours; Sandy Frandsen and Carolyn Maynard for each giving 4,000 hours; Chuck Marshall, Carol Padilla and Sandy Robertson for each giving 2,000 hours; and Rene Beauchesne, Dottie Bolander, Catherine Culbertson, Priscilla Drew, Sharon Gondeck, Charles LoPiano, Lynn Pratt and Patricia Sheafor for each giving 1,000 hours.

In addition, 12 other volunteers were recognized for giving at 500 hours and another 30 volunteers were honored for giving 100 hours.
The Auxiliary members at CMH, including teens in the Junior Volunteers Program, perform a variety of tasks such as discharging patients; stocking supplies; delivering books, flowers, mail and medications; staffing the front and back desks; assisting in Maternity, Pharmacy, the Emergency Department, Same Day Surgery, Ambulatory Services and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, as well as cuddling premature infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Auxiliary members also raise money from souvenir birth certificate sales, fundraisers and gift shop sales. At this year’s luncheon, the Auxiliary presented CMHS President and CEO Gary Wilde with a check for $90,000 from earnings in the last year. The Auxiliary is excited to again designate the funds this year towards the building of the new Community Memorial Hospital, meeting a goal set to provide $500,000 to the fund. Since 1962 the Auxiliary at CMH has donated $3,283,868.91.
New Auxiliary Board Members were installed: Katie Weldon, President; Sandy Frandsen, 1st Vice President; Trudy Cook, 2nd Vice President; Sandy Robertson, Corresponding Secretary; Carol Torsney, Treasurer; Ann Howard and Charlotte Bell, Directors; Edie Marshall, Juniors; Judy Miller, Parliamentarian; and Ruth Downey, Past President.
Among those attending the luncheon included: Gary Wolfe, CMHS Board of Trustees; David Glyer, Chief Financial Officer; Adam Thunell, Chief Operating Officer; Barbara Reynolds, Tri-Counties Area Council President; CMH Auxiliary incoming president Katie Weldon and outgoing CMH Auxiliary President Judy Miller.
Anyone interested in joining the CMH Auxiliary is asked to call 652-5043, or pick up an application form at the reception desk at CMH, located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.

Community Memorial Hospital is a member of Community Memorial Health System, a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and eleven family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.