VIDEO: Heart of the Rockies - A digital story by Terri Harrison
Digital Story co-created with Kristy Wolfe
The Canmore Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary has been a dedicated volunteer group supporting the Canmore Hospital through fundraising, community events, and essential equipment purchases, evolving over the decades to partner with the Canmore Hospital Foundation while continuing to foster a strong sense of connection and contribution among its members.
Video Transcript:
I was born and raised in small town Ontario. My family was always very involved in our community with my mother being an active member of the Cambridge Hospital Ladies Auxiliary, helping to plan many fundraisers.
After college I spent time travelling and working with children in the UK, Europe and Israel. Upon my return I didn’t last long in Ontario before moving to Canmore in 1981. I had travelled enough of the world to know I had found a paradise and a place I would like to call home and to raise a family.
Canmore at that time was only about 1500 people and volunteering was a natural way for me to contribute to my new community.The Canmore Ladies Hospital Auxiliary had begun a few years prior with a small group of women meeting in each other’s kitchen’s over plates of sandwiches, organizing fundraisers like BBQs, craft markets and running the tuck shop in the hospital, which is still one of our largest fundraisers. Forty years later in 2018, we were recognized for our contributions and received the Canmore Mayor’s Awards for Excellence.
In 2019 the Auxilary gave up it’s independent not for profit status and partnered with the Canmore Hospital Foundation with Kristin Paunch, leading and helping to blend the two organizations. Our members range in age from 35 to 95 and we meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month from September to June to plan our long running fundraisers, like the Rolling Sculptures Car Show, the Christmas Fair at Origin, and the Miners Parade. These are just a few of the examples of how our ladies support the hospital.
We are privileged to be able to decide which pieces of equipment to purchase from the “wish list” to help decide on scholarship recipients and to contribute to larger hospital projects. Of the many projects we have funded, patient lifts are a favourite because of their dual purpose. Not only do they make patients more comfortable, but they also help prevent staff injuries. Our most recent commitment is to upgrade the staff garden outside the hospital’s cafeteria ensuring patients and staff alike continue to receive the restorative benefits.
People join our group to meet other like-minded ladies who want to contribute to their hospital and their community. Each has a special skill they bring to our group, including but not limited to: organizing, knitting, baking, and professional skills. What skill will you bring?