Auxiliary

The Medical Center Auxiliary has been the cornerstone of volunteer activities and fundraising at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for 90 years. Beginning as a small group of Nashua church ladies who used their skills with needle and thread to help Nashua's first hospital, known then as Nashua Memorial Hospital, the group soon became the heart of volunteer and fundraising assistance for the growing hospital. On March 2, 1920, they adopted a constitution and endorsed their mission: to provide the hospital with both physical and financial assistance. A “Silver Tea” was held in 1921 to raise money and a year later, a fund to provide a charity bed was established. And since then:

• In 1954, the Auxiliary opened the hospital Gift and Coffee Shops. These projects, along with a more recent baby photo service, have become significant sources of revenue, helping the Auxiliary make substantial donations to improve hospital facilities for patients and their families.
• In the late 1950s, the Auxiliary donated an x-ray therapy suite for cancer patients.
• In the 1960s, a fracture wheelchair and new beds were purchased.
• In the 1970s the Auxiliary pledged $51,000 for expansion of the West building and donated $20,000 for pediatric renovations. It pledged an additional $30,000 in 1977, $7,500 earmarked for maternity department renovations. Also in 1977, the Auxiliary Board of Directors voted to admit men as members.
• The 1980s saw the Auxiliary expand and begin a scholarship program with two $500 awards in 1980. Other gifts included $4,500 for a family waiting room, $12,000 for an orthoscope and video recording system, and $30,000 to help fund the Early Intervention Program to identify children with developmental disabilities. The group also purchased a van for occupational health services.

The last decade of the century found the Auxiliary active, generous, and willing to reach beyond The Medical Center to meet community needs.

• A “Diamond Ball” in 1992 raised over $12,000. The Auxiliary fulfilled a pledge of $150,000 for a Special Procedures Unit. The group also purchased 18 wheelchairs and a stained glass window for the chapel, pledged $76,000 for our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and made a $100,000 contribution to renovations at The Birth Place. 
• In 1999, the Auxiliary donated 27 automatic external defibrillators to area police departments for use in cruisers and emergency vehicles.
• In 2009, the Auxiliary gave six scholarships worth $1,000 each. Other gifts included $14,025 for a Pediatric Monitor; $16,200 for an Affinity Birthing Bed and $20,000 for an MRI-compatible Infusion Pump.

A history of the Auxiliary should include more than its financial donations. The organization provides thousands of volunteer hours in 33 departments throughout The Medical Center. Nearly 300 volunteers run errands, transport patients, deliver house mail, assist in blood drives, conduct tours, staff the information and admitting desks, and warm everyone with their smiles. Each December, the membership hosts a tea for all hospital employees. 

For all these years, the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center Auxiliary has been an integral part of The Medical Center community. From its humble beginnings as a women’s sewing group, the organization has grown and expanded to provide much needed financial assistance, volunteer services, and organizational help.

The Auxiliary continues to target a specific need in the hospital or the community for its donation. Auxiliary membership is $10 a year; lifetime membership is $75. To become a member of the Auxiliary, call Jean Barrett at 603-577-2959, or email jean.barrett@snhmc.org.