Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Martin Memorial Auxiliary Pledges $150,000 to Renovate Conference Center

When the Martin Memorial Auxiliary completed its $1 million pledge for the Frances Langford Heart Center early in 2009, its members decided to turn their attention to another big fundraising project.

So the Auxiliary – which includes nearly 900 volunteers who contribute approximately 200,000 volunteer hours each year – has announced its commitment to raise $150,000 to refurbish the conference center at Martin Memorial Medical Center. They paid the first installment with a $50,000 gift at the end of 2009, and the Auxiliary anticipates completing the commitment by 2011.

This isn’t the first time the Auxiliary has contributed funds for this purpose: in 1982, the volunteers donated $75,000 for the construction of the conference center. Today, the conference center serves a wide variety of purposes that can include everything from educational seminars to support groups, community celebrations to meetings for hospital staff and Auxiliary.

“We felt this was an important project that needed to be accomplished, and we were happy to help facilitate it,” said Eva Kemp, president of the Auxiliary. “The conference center provides a centralized meeting location that serves the needs not only of the hospital’s staff and Auxiliary, but of the entire community as well.”

The Auxiliary raises funds through a variety of sources. That includes purchases from the gift shops at Martin Memorial Medical Center and Martin Memorial Hospital South, the thrift shop located at Smithfield Plaza, Philips’ Lifeline personal response service, as well as numerous fund-raisers throughout the year.

Funding will be used to purchase a new audio-visual system, as well as functional and aesthetic renovations for the nearly 30-year-old conference center. Renovations will be performed in phases, beginning with an upgrade to the audio system. Plans will then be made for upgrading the visual system and other needs after October 2010.

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