Martin Memorial Auxiliary Provides Second Installment of $150,000 Pledge

The Martin Memorial Auxiliary is two-thirds of the way towards fulfilling a pledge to raise $150,000 for refurbishments to the Martin Memorial Medical Center Conference Center.

Auxiliary officers recently presented members of the Martin Memorial executive team with the second of three planned $50,000 gifts. The Auxiliary anticipates completing the commitment by 2011.

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.

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 hospital staff and Auxiliary meetings.

The Auxiliary, which includes more than 900 members who provide 187,000 volunteer hours to the health system, 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.

Each year the Auxiliary also provides $40,000 in scholarships to residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties who are entering health care related fields.

Martin Memorial Offers Scholarships for Students Seeking Degrees Related to Health Care

Martin Memorial Health Systems and the Martin Memorial Auxiliary are once again offering scholarships to residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties who are pursuing degrees related to health care.

The scholarships are open to high school students in Martin or St. Lucie counties who graduate in 2011, as well as to residents of either county who are considering going back to school and need tuition assistance. Applications are available online at mmhs.com. The deadline for submission is Feb. 18, 2011.

For more information, call Christina Romanovsky at (772) 223-5945, ext. 3239, or e-mail cromanovsky@mmhs-fla.org.

A committee determines which candidates receive scholarships and in what amount. Amounts awarded vary and are based on grades, residency, need, other financial assistance being granted and additional criteria. Funds may be used to offset any costs associated with the pursuit of a degree related to health care.

In 2010, the Martin Memorial Auxiliary and Martin Memorial Health Systems provided $50,000 in scholarships with nearly 50 recipients earning assistance. Since 1978, Martin Memorial has awarded approximately $1.1 million in scholarships to 824 residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The Martin Memorial Auxiliary includes more than 800 members, who volunteer nearly 200,000 hours of volunteer service annually and contribute considerable philanthropic gifts to the health system.

Martin Memorial Auxiliary Hosting Fall Fashion Extravaganza on Oct. 30

For the second consecutive year, the Martin Memorial Auxiliary is hosting an event focused on fun, fashion and philanthropy.

The Fall Fashion Extravaganza will be held Saturday, Oct. 30 from noon to 3 p.m. at Renato’s Italian Ristorante, located at 3720 S.E. Ocean Blvd. in Sewall’s Point. The extravaganza will feature lunch and a fashion show, with fashions and accessories showcased from the Shops at Harbour Bay Plaza.

To register, visit mmhs.com and click on the Fall Fashion Extravaganza link. You can also call (772) 223-5945, ext. 1297 for more information.

The cost is $28 per person, which includes lunch. Proceeds from the event will benefit Martin Memorial Health Systems.

Martin Memorial has one of the largest hospital Auxiliaries in the state, featuring more than 800 volunteers who provide nearly 200,000 hours of service each year. In addition to providing volunteer services, the Auxiliary has a long history of helping raise funds that are used to enhance patient care and access to services for Treasure Coast residents.

In 2009, the Auxiliary completed its $1 million pledge to the Frances Langford Heart Center and in 2010 pledged to raise $150,000 over three years to pay for renovations to Martin Memorial Medical Center’s conference centers. To help ensure future health care providers are able to receive the educations they need, each year the Auxiliary provides $40,000 in scholarships for local students who are seeking degrees in health care related fields. Since 1978, Martin Memorial has awarded approximately $1.1 million in scholarships to 824 residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties.

Martin Memorial Auxiliary Thrift Shop Holds Sale Prior to Moving to New Site

The Martin Memorial Auxiliary Thrift Shop will be relocating to the Ocean East Mall in August.

To help prepare for the move, the Auxiliary is holding a “super moving sale” until Saturday, Aug. 7 at its current site, located at 2195 S.E. Ocean Blvd. in the Smithfield Plaza in Stuart. There will be great deals available on gently used merchandise, ranging from clothing to home furnishings and much more. Many items are marked at 50 percent off . The shop is open during its summer hours from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The telephone number is (772) 223-5619 for more information.

The thrift shop will open Aug. 18 at its new site, located at 2328 S.E. Ocean Blvd. in the Ocean East Mall just two shops down from Milam’s Market in Stuart.

The thrift shop provides funds that the Auxiliary uses to help Martin Memorial deliver care for the community. In 2009, the Auxiliary completed its $1 million pledge to the Frances Langford Heart Center, in part through funds it raised through the thrift shop. And each year, the Auxiliary provides $40,000 in scholarships for local students who are seeking degrees in health care related fields.

Martin Memorial has one of the largest hospital Auxiliaries in the state, featuring more than 800 volunteers who provide nearly 200,000 hours of service each year.

Martin Memorial Auxiliary, Martin Memorial Health Systems Give $50,000 in Scholarships

The Martin Memorial Auxiliary and Martin Memorial Health Systems recently awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships to 48 students studying for health care careers.

The Auxiliary provided $40,000 in scholarships to 38 individuals. The scholarships were available to high school seniors graduating from schools in Martin or St. Lucie counties in 2010, as well as to verifiable residents of both counties seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees in health-related fields, or business fields related to delivering health care. That includes adults interested in going back to school to further their educations. Previous scholarship recipients can apply if they meet eligibility requirements outlined in the application.

Martin Memorial Health Systems provided another $10,000 in scholarships for 10 eligible associates of the health system seeking to enhance their education in clinical, educational or business fields related to health care.

Scholarship awards are granted for one year, beginning during the fall semester of 2010 and ending with the summer semester of 2011. A committee of Auxiliary members determined which candidates received scholarships and in what amount. Amounts awarded varied and were based on grades, residency, need, other financial assistance being granted and other criteria.

“We are investing in bright, talented individuals who will receive terrific educations that ultimately will benefit Treasure Coast residents,” said Shelley Guerard, president of the Martin Memorial Auxiliary Executive Committee. “Some are future physicians, nurses and therapists who will provide care for our community. Others will serve as managers and administrators to keep our health system vibrant. This modest investment ultimately will yield exceptionally high returns.”

Last year, the Martin Memorial Auxiliary and Martin Memorial Health Systems provided a total of $50,000 in scholarships with 56 recipients earning assistance. Since 1978, Martin Memorial has awarded approximately $1.1 million in scholarships to 824 residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The Martin Memorial Auxiliary includes more than 800 volunteers who provide nearly 200,000 hours of volunteer service annually and contribute considerable philanthropic gifts to the health system. In 2009, the Auxiliary completed its $1 million pledge for the Frances Langford Heart Center. And in 2010, members pledged to raise $150,000 over three years to refurbish the conference center at Martin Memorial Medical Center.

30,000 Volunteer Hours and Counting

When Pat Donovan was first approached about volunteering at Martin Memorial, she emphatically declined. She was semi-retired and looking forward to spending time at the pool, exercising and enjoying the proximity to the water.

But the routine soon grew monotonous and Donovan decided to look into joining the Martin Memorial Auxiliary. Nineteen years later, Donovan has made her mark not only on the Auxiliary, but the entire health system.

On Feb. 27, Donovan (at right in the picture below, with Joan Lemke, president of the Auxiliary) earned her 30,000th hour of volunteer service. It is the most hours recorded by a volunteer in the Martin Memorial Auxiliary’s 66-year history.

“It seems like it was so long ago, but it wasn’t,” she said. “The hospital has changed quite a bit since I started.”

Donovan’s tenure is notable for more than just her longevity. She has spent most of her time in the Auxiliary as gift shop coordinator, selling flowers and stuffed animals, balloons and souvenirs to hospital patients and their guests. When she started, the gift shop was nothing but a small room with a table or two, tablecloths tossed over them to spruce things up.

Slowly but surely, things began to improve at the gift shop, thanks largely to Donovan’s experience running a business with her husband. The shop was expanded and cleaned up. More merchandise was made available. Helium was brought in to inflate balloons. Visa and Mastercard were set up so that customers could pay by credit card.

Soon, the shop became profitable. In the first 10 years Donovan was there, the gift shop made $1 million. In 2007, the total profits reached $2 million, taking just eight years to earn the second million dollars.

“She does so much for the hospital,” Lemke said. “It’s practically been a full-time job.”

--Scott Samples

Public Information Coordinator