Page 14 - 2020 annual report

WAYS TO BE INVOLVED
“To say
2020 was
a year
like no
other is an
understate-
ment.”
ELENA COFFEY,
President, Tobey Guild | Tobey Hospital, Wareham, MA
When COVID-19 prevented hospital visits and in-person fundraising events, Southcoast’s volunteers got creative.
“We had to rethink everything we did,” says Marcia Liggin, president of the Charlton Memorial Auxiliary.
The members of the Charlton Auxiliary, St. Luke’s Auxiliary and Tobey Guild normally are in and out of the three hospitals. “Volunteerism is a big part of what we do,” says Jennifer Szabo, manager of the hospital gift shops and liaison to the auxiliaries and guild.
Last year, the groups used email and phone calls to raise money, as well as a calendar sale featuring Southcoast’s frontline staff, instead of gala-sized events. They were
Southcoast Strong 2021 Calendars — proceeds support the Southcoast Health Wellness Van
able to purchase two InBody Technology machines for the Southcoast Health Breast Center, costing $40,000. The equipment is a non-invasive body composition tool used to assess Lymphedema, often produced when lymph nodes are removed in cancer treatment.
Szabo helped the groups use Zoom for meetings and organize a letter-writing campaign to thank care givers. The hospitals’ medical staff helped continue a beloved Christmas tradition of delivering poinsettias to every patient.
“We really enjoy delivering poinsettias to
the patients and talking with them and their families,” says Elizabeth Simmons, president of St. Luke’s Auxiliary. “But we were grateful for the help last year.”
The groups also awarded college scholarships they grant annually to high school graduates planning health care careers. The Guild dedicated its newsletter to recipients instead of holding its annual luncheon.
“There aren’t enough superlatives to describe these kids,” says Elena Coffey, Tobey
Guild president. “We couldn’t let them go uncelebrated.”
Auxiliaries & Guild
DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS FIND NEW WAYS TO OFFER SUPPORT
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Southcoast Health | 2020 Annual Report of Philanthropy