Hospital auxiliary salutes volunteers

The announcement of two award recipients and recognition of auxilians who have reached service milestones highlighted the annual Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. The theme for the event, which was held recently at Drury Lodge, was "Our Volunteers Rock." Entertainment was provided by Elvis impersonator Don Hester.

The Margaret Foster Roberts Award, established in 2003, which pays tribute to the innovative, enthusiastic and exemplary leadership of the late Margaret Roberts, went to Sue Balsamo.

An auxiliary leader for six years, Balsamo has served as vice president, president and past president, a role that places her as chairwoman of the nominating committee. She also is a photographer for the auxiliary's newborn photo project and volunteers for the lobby desk and Meals on Wheels. Balsamo has been the vital force in establishing the auxiliary's scholarship endowment fund to help provide education for students in health sciences. That fund today has a balance of more than $55,000.

Established in 2004, the Ilena Aslin Auxiliary Service Award pays tribute to the dedicated service given to Southeast Missouri Hospital by Aslin and perpetuates her spirit of service to others. It recognizes auxilians who make a positive impact on the auxiliary's growth and esteem through their contributions. The 2006 recipient of the award was Jean Devore, a member of the auxiliary since 1988 and a longtime member of the auxilary's board of directors. She served as auxiliary treasurer for 10 years, volunteers in the auxiliary's gift shop and is chairwoman of the sewing committee. Devore and a group of volunteers she recruits and manages sew preemie baby gowns, about 6,500 pairs of infant mittens and hundreds of puppets for children cared for in emergency services and outpatient recovery every year. They also make 200 teddy bear vests for bears distributed at Christmas to hospital patients, Christmas stockings for newborns and most of the vests worn by male volunteers.

Elected to lead the auxiliary in 2007 were Barbara Campbell, president; Dorothy Taylor, vice president; Rhonda Parenteau, recording secretary; Rosemary Logan, corresponding secretary; Carolyn Brant, treasurer; and Kathy King, past president.

SERVICE MILESTONES RECOGNIZED

Of Southeast's more than 500 volunteers, 168 men and women who reached service milestones ranging from 100 to 11,000 hours were honored. Since last year's appreciation dinner, volunteers have contributed nearly 45,000 hours of service. Volunteers who have given the most hours of service are:

6,000 hours -- Anna Mae Rigdon, Jean Devore

6,500 hours -- Betty Schoenborn.

7,000 hours -- Ginger Beaudean, Maxine Goehring, Audrey McIntire and Jerry XXXXXX

7,500 hours -- Shirley Waterman

8,500 hours -- Margaret Tunnell

9,000 hours -- Teresa Golden

9,500 hours -- Leroy Mier and Bruxie Norman

10,000 hours -- Kenneth Wagner

11,000 hours -- Ruth Edwards

14,000 hours -- Hazel Eaves

15,000 hours -- Norma Sander

Receiving pins for service milestones were the following volunteers:

100 hours: Barbara Barklage, Angela Beussink, Don Boeller, Lois Boston, Jan Butler, Verna Cordia, Jan Gluesing, Stan Grimm, Carol Keppler, Joan King, Earlene Langston, Casidy Lemons, Bob Lucas, Rita Lucas, Joyce Miller, Sandy Peek, Jim Poston, Woody Proctor, Norm Robert, Pat Robert, Vada Smart, Frances Tallman, Linda Train, Angie Tygett, Patti Unzicker.

200 hours: Zilpha Abernathy, Leo Amelunke, Marilyn Amelunke, Ken Barrett, Marge Bauerle, Gaye Blank, Robert Blank, Jan Boeller, Norma Buerck, Earl Buerck, Virgil Chirnside, Helen Cox, Bettye Crockett, Dorothy Crump, Dottie Cruce, John Cutrell, Dolly Dambach, Phil Dodson, John Dumont, JoAnne Erlbacher, Inez Elfrink, Karen Ervin, Helen Farrar, Glenda Farrow, Ron Farrow, Glenda Godwin, Candy Hahs, Marilyn Huttegger, Velma James, Joan Jones, Helen Kluesner, Kathleen Kluesner, Fred Koeppel, Shirley Lefler, Marilyn Lewis, Mary Ann Lewis, Marie McElreath, Jo Meggs, Dick Meyer, Juanita Miller, Bernice Overbeck, Jeanette Patterson, Carol Pind, Edna Pollard, Marilyn Poston, Katy Proctor, Ruby Propst, Rose Quinn, Germaine Robert, Jeanette Rooker, Margaret Sanders, Lil Schreiner, Kristin Seabaugh, Shirley Sides, Joan Slaughter, Lee Slinkard, Mildred Smith, Marilyn Steck, Marge Sullivan, Eloise Terry, Sally Thurkill, Mary Tinsley, Joe Tygett, Evonne Wagoner, Melinda Whitticre, Billie Ward, Brucie Wood.s.

500 hours: Pat Abernathy, Judy Bangert, Anne Beard, Hilda Berghoff, Jim Brown, Carl Bryant, Robert Clementz, Betty Cox, Dorothy Crump, John Cutrell, Dolly Dambach, Wanda Darby, Muriel Day, Barbara Douglas, JoAnne Erlbacher, Shirley Estes, Lorene Gross, Cherie Herbst, Schirley Huey, Velma James, Patti Jones, Alice Kasten, Madeleine Launuis, Flossie Leggett, Mary Maxwell, Charles Mungle, Juanita Miller, Bernice Overbeck, Sue Pewitt, Dolores Rasche, Barbara Rust, Virginia Schobey, Earlene Sokolowski, Joan Slaughter, Donna Taylor,Dorothy Taylor, Patrick Taylor.

750 hours: Jane Boyd, Mary Etta Branum, Diane Brown, Norma Carter, Betty Cord, Betty Craft, Kathy Criddle, Dixie Crites, Jerry Cummins, Barbara Eilers, Wilma Ervin, Pansy Moss, Colleen Farrar, Alena Fels, Opal Gast, Paul Gerlach, Carolyn Goodin, Kathy Green, Pat Irvin, Bill Lindsay, Rosemary Logan, Mildred Mason, Arlinda McElreach, Jerry Poston, Evelyn Ritchie, Sandy Shandy, Lillian Stahly, John Stehr,  Pat Stehr, Gelena Stoffregen, June Stone, Nelson Stone, Teresa Vogelsang, George Wrape, Geneva Wyatt.

1,000 hours: John Bierk, Carolyn Brant, Shirley Collins, Dennis Depro, Dick Eilers, Sue Evitts, Virginia Golden, Dorothy Haupt, Betty Heisserer, Elvira Hendrickson, Nelson Kasten, Carolyn Klueppel, Virginia Lovelace, Glenn Lohmann, Retha McManus, Neva Mowery, Annie Niswonger, Rhonda Parenteau, Sharon Pierce, Gene Pind, Mabel Schaefer, Viola Schlegel, Melvin Schmidt, Carol Sparkman, Audrey Wooldridge.

1,250 hours: Elda Barnes, Catherine Dunn, Edna Ruth Fischer, Evelyn Gass, Mary Gerlach, Phyllis Herbst, Lawanda Ice, Vicki Lane, Betty McCormick, Doris McMillan, Peck Robert, Wilma Summers, Marilyn Turner, Jean Wetzel.

1,500 hours: Norma Blattner, Connie Blattner, Doris Byrne, Barbara Campbell, Juanita Daume, Christy Dubs, Jane Grojean, Doris Jost, Elsie Lingle, Peggy Medlock, Edna Murphy, Patricia O'Neill, Doris Schmidt, Marjorie Sneed, Ruby Statler, Joyce Stinson, Delores Streiler, Catharine Weed.

2,000 hours: Joyce Chirnside, Dick Hammond, Helen Hammond, Madline Hente, Sue Huckstep, Harry LaFoe, Duane McAllister, Dorles Massey, Thyra Messmer, Barbara Port, William Port, Betty Smith, Betty Sprenger, Willa Stanford, Ruby Statler, Dorothy Wagner, Darlene Werner.

2,500 hours: Regina Bock, Wanda Break, Gladys Brown, Margie Crites, Robert Hente, Wyn Hirsch, Carol Koeppel, Marian LaFoe, Alice Manes, Alene Matthews, Mildred Mueller, Jeanne Poe, Arlysse Popp, Ruth Tinnin, Verna Vogel, Bill Wills.

3,000 hours: Mary Lee Bishop, Dolly Jewel, Kathy King, JoAnn Vogel.

3,500 hours: Inge Charek, Helene Koch, Bob Matthews, Peggy Stanfield, Alta Turner.

4,000 hours: Sue Balsamo, Betty Heuring, Sina Kaiser, Rosemary McAllister, Viola Weiss.

4,500 hours: Georgia Bierschwal, Jane Grimm, Gwen Schild, Madalen Tiffany, Susan Trout.