The year 2021 marks a special anniversary for the WHS Greene Auxiliary volunteer group. It has been 100 years since thirteen women came together to assemble a team to support the hospital. Originally led by Mrs. Margaret Crago, the auxiliary was formed from representatives from several churches and clubs who saw a need for assistance.
Over the course of the past 100 years, the auxiliary has found many ways to contribute efforts towards WHS Greene. Today, the auxiliary accomplishes this through two parts within the hospital: the escort desk and the lobby shop. There is also a third location outside of the hospital that engages volunteers called The Cherry Door in Waynesburg.
This shop, located on High Street, was organized in 1960 and consists of affordable household items and clothing for members of the community to purchase with profits going back to the hospital. It’s a mutually beneficial operation between the hospital and the community that runs on volunteer service by the auxiliary.
“[It’s] tremendous,” Rebecca Biddle, Director of Volunteer Services, says. “It provides a tremendous support to staff, where volunteers are stepping forward and greeting people or delivering newspapers. They are fundraisers here. They’ve donated over a million dollars to the hospital since their inception in 1921. It’s just incredible all the stuff that they’ve done for the community.”
The history of the auxiliary is very rich. Their role in helping the hospitals started as women working from their homes, sewing together supplies for the hospital. They also provided food for patients through gardening.
In its early years, the hospital was located on the campus of Waynesburg University, and the auxiliary would simply make ends meet by assisting with monthly bills, including rent. A list from February 1922 has $500 worth of sheets, pillows, screen covers, knives, forks, spoons, vegetables, lemon squeezers and biscuit pans that the auxiliary would help pay for.
In the 1940s, a “Donation Day” was held where monetary donations, canned goods, fresh produce, feed sacks to make pillows, linens, fabric for curtains and many other items were donated to augment the hospital supplies. Local high school classes also got involved by building screen frames and footstools for patients.
To observe the centennial milestone, a special luncheon was held in September at the Greene County Historical Society. Long serving volunteers Jean Gusic and Mary Zollars were honored at this event for their work as members of the auxiliary.
“It was a great event,” Rebecca says. “Personally, I’ve never been in that building, but if you haven’t, it has fantastic artifacts from the history of Greene County and it is really cool to see.”
It only makes sense to hold a historical celebration of a 100-year-old group in a building that houses the county’s history. The members of the auxiliary enjoyed a catered meal and a peek into the history of Greene County that they are now a working part of.
The work of the WHS Greene Auxiliary group will continue into the holiday season as they prepare to continue fundraising and providing support to WHS Greene and its patients. Greene county residents have been impacted by the auxiliary for the past 100 years and continue to do so.