PMC Auxiliary: The Few Who Aid Many

Auxiliary Members with Wills’ Quilt

Members of the Prowers Medical Center Auxiliary were on hand at this year’s annual Heritage Snow Goose Festival vendor’s sale at the Department of Wildlife offices on Highway 287. The Auxiliary has several dozen members and ten or so volunteer their time to keep the hospital gift shop open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Detail on Embroidery

Some of these talented ladies spend their time crafting handmade blankets, quilts, tea towels or other apparel for young or old, items that are available for sale at the gift shop or other events such as the Snow Goose vendor’s sale. You can also find them at PMC health fairs or engaged in activities that benefit the community, from library book sales to collecting canned goods for emergency food pantries. The funds are also spent on various pieces of hospital equipment, furnishings or members simply volunteer their time assisting patients and their families during visits for treatment at PMC.

One means of raising funds has members use their quilting expertise to create custom spreads or quilts for the general public. Linda Wills recounted how she her husband, Bryant, found a series of blocks of candle-wicking embroidery in a cedar chest owned by family members.  “I don’t think it had been opened for decades when it passed on to us, but when it was opened, we found two different styles of patterns which we showed to some Auxiliary members.”  Wills said they suggested we keep them, but for a fee, the Auxiliary had people who were talented in that area and turned it into a quilt which can become an heirloom for the family.

Some of the older Auxiliary members are teaching newer members that style of quilting so the talent won’t be lost. Each November the Auxiliary holds a craft fair to display their talents and raise funds, but are also open to new members.  The annual fee is only $5.

Additional information about the workings of the PMC Auxiliary is available at the PMC website at www.prowersmedical.com or just drop by and pay a visit at The Shoppe at the front entrance of the hospital during regular business hours.

By Russ Baldwin