Hospital Auxiliary

CAROLINA EAST HOSPITAL HONORS ITS VOLUNTEERS

During National Volunteer Appreciation Week, Carolina East Hospital and Health Services

honored all the volunteers who serve to support the patients and staff with a wonderful

celebration and delicious lunch at The Flame venue in New Bern on April 21st.

The Volunteer Luncheon began with a full house with Shaellen Thompson, the manager of

Volunteer Services for Carolina East, hosting this spectacular event. President and CEO,

Michael Smith thanked the volunteers for their incredible dedication to serving the hospital and

associated departments with a total of 55,562 volunteer hours in 2024. The number of hours

reported for the Fairfield Harbour Hospital Auxiliary was 8,617, which is just under 15% of that

total. Shaellen informed me that the FH Auxiliary is the hospital’s largest groups of sewers and

crafters!

Ms. Thompson gave a beautiful and passionate speech about what makes a volunteer a unique person:

You have Passion! It doesn’t matter about the position;

you are passionate about being here and doing your job well.

You are Reliable and Committed to your role and our organization.

You have Integrity--- You do what is right when no one is watching;

you take pride in being a part of the Carolina East team.

Which leads directly into being a Team Player.

You are Friendly, you are Flexible… You do what it takes to GET THE JOB DONE!

Last, but certainly not least, you have Energy… volunteering isn’t just about giving your time, it requires positive energy; being excited about what you are doing.

Finally, Shaellen gave individuals pins or bars showing the number of hours of milestone

service. They start at 100 hours and from that point go up every 500 hours as a milestone

cumulative award. Please enjoy all the pictures and comments on just a smidgeon of what

our wonderful volunteers each do for our community and hospital.

The FH Hospital Auxiliary meets on the third Monday of most every month, at the

Community Center from 9:30 to 10:30. The auxiliary does not hold meetings during the

summer months of July and August. It’s a great way to meet new friends and become

involved in our community in helping Carolina East Medical Center. If you would like to learn how to knit and crochet, we offer a free Stitch and Chat from 1:30-3 at the Activity Center in Room 2 on the second Friday of each month. We also offer Crochet Corner to teach lessons and techniques after each meeting on the third Wednesday of each month at 10:30. Please, join us and see what we’re all about. Membership is free and for more information you may contact our Chairperson, Holly Woodcock or Pat Geres, Membership Chair.

Volunteers Who Worked 100 hours

VOLUNTEERS WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 100 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE:

We had five generous and hard working members who earned the recognition

for volunteering 100 hours of service to the Hospital Auxiliary in 2024, and they

are Laurie Eakins, Judy Gates, Gardenia Hull, Mary Lou Infinito, and Brenda

Parrish.

Laurie Eakins is relatively new to the Auxiliary, and she loves volunteering at the

hospital. Laurie is a transporter where she wheels patients who have been

discharged outside to be picked up by family. She loves talking to them and has

met some very interesting people. Laurie also delivers flowers and takes visitors

to see patients in their rooms. She collects monitors and charts and refills

bookcases around the main floor or anything else she is asked to do. When

she’s at home she sews eyeglass cases and delivers them to the hospital. Thank

you for your dedication and passion for helping others, Laurie!

Judy Gates is the FH Hospital Auxiliary Secretary. This is her first full year doing

this job and I must say she is very thorough and meticulous about all the details.

Judy crochets quite a few baby blankets and volunteers at the hospital one

morning a week in outpatient registration.

Gardenia Hull enjoys staying in the background, but she will always jump in to

help wherever needed. Gardenia loves to volunteer at Santa’s Breakfast and help

to collect the toys for the children. Gardenia has also helped to trace and cut 230

Christmas stockings and all the pieces that go with the stockings.

Mary Lou Infinito wears many hats for our Auxiliary! She is our Yard Sale Chair

and runs a booth selling household items that volunteers donated and the

money she raises goes right back into the Auxiliary for supplies. Mary Lou also

collects books and magazines for the Hospital’s Patient Library, and she

organizes Friendship and Fellowship Events. Mary Lou is so much fun to be

around and keeps us all laughing at meetings and other events. ��

Brenda Parrish is the Auxiliary’s Directory Chair. She took this over last year and

did a fabulous job keeping names, phone numbers, emails and addresses all

straight. Brenda is also quite crafty and sews eyeglass cases, surgery pillows,

and baby quilts. She also helps to trace and cut 230 stockings and all the

accessories that go with them each May. Thank you for all your help with these

projects, Brenda!

Volunteers Who Worked 500 Hours

VOLUNTEERS WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 500 HOURS OF

VOLUNTEER SERVICE:

Laura Chase and Cheryl Hard have earned their bar for 500 hours of

volunteer service to the Hospital Auxiliary. These two wonderful

ladies crochet and knit beautiful afghans and lap robes in addition to

cute baby blankets for the hospital ward and giftshop. Cheryl has

volunteered in the Camillia Boutique, as well.

Volunteers Who Worked 1000 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 1,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE:

Mary Florence is the FH Hospital Auxiliary Treasurer. Mary crochets some baby

blankets for the hospital, but she enjoys sewing the most. There are so many

items that we need our sewers for like flannel baby blankets, Christmas

stockings, eyeglass cases, surgery pillows, catheter bags, fidgets, etc. Mary

feels she makes the biggest difference with her sewing talents for these auxiliary

projects.

Volunteers Who Worked 1000 & 1500 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARDs FOR BOTH 1,000 & 1,500 HOURS OF

SERVICE:

Chris Reivik earned both the 1,000 and 1,500 awards for her hours of volunteer

service knitting and crocheting beautiful baby blanket sets for the giftshop and

also making warm and colorful afghans and lap robes for patients in the

hospital. Chris has been with the Auxiliary for only two years, and we are so

thankful for all that she has contributed in such a short period of time. You are

amazing, Chris!

Volunteers Who Worked 2000 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 2,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE:

Jenny Nebe has been with the Hospital Auxiliary for many years in several

different roles. She first started as a transporter and then moved to help in the

accounting department. She then began to volunteer with the Med Alert team

and found it was a good fit because of her background with the phone company.

She later became the director of this department, but because she wasn’t

working on a weekly basis, Jenny wanted to do more, so she volunteered for the

outpatient surgery department, where she put her background as a surgical tech

to good use. A few years later she left this post because of the physical strain

and retired as the director of Med Alert, but she still helps this team troubleshoot

problems. Now Jenny helps to sew baby blankets and Christmas stockings for

the Auxiliary’s two huge December projects, and of course you will always find

Jenny baking cinnamon rolls at our bi-annual bake sales. Jenny is affectionately

known as the FH Hospital Auxiliary’s Cinnamon Bun Queen.

Volunteers Who Worked 3000 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 3,000 HOURS OF

VOLUNTEER SERVICE

Pat Roark is one of the Auxiliary’s current Membership Chairs. Pat

also sews stockings for the BIG Christmas Stocking project each year

and she cuts the plastic netting pieces for mug rugs, picture frames,

and key rings that are given to volunteers to knit and return to place

into the stockings by early November. Pat has also kept a pattern box

for auxiliary members to show how to make blankets, shawls,

beanies, catheter bags, eyeglass cases, etc. Between 2011-2012 Pat

was the Auxiliary’s Chairwoman, which once again shows the

incredible dedication and perseverance our members aspire to.

Volunteers Who Worked 3500 Hours

VOLUNTEERS WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 3,500 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE

(L) Cindy Scalion is the Secretary for Carolina East’s Volunteer Auxiliary Board

and also serves the hospital as part of the transport crew. Cindy comes to every

bake sale and helps with baking and serving hot cinnamon rolls and coffee. She

jumps in wherever she’s needed.

(R) Holly Woodcock is the FH Hospital Auxiliary Chairwoman, who has also

served as Vice Chairperson of the Auxiliary for the last two years. Holly has a

wonderful talent for crocheting and offers to teach others after our monthly

meetings. She makes afghans, lap robes, shawls, baby and adult beanies for

patients staying in the hospital.

Volunteers Who Worked 4000 & 4500 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 4,000 & 4,500 HOURS OF

VOLUNTEER SERVICE:

Janell Ringuette has been a wonderful volunteer in our hospital’s Camillia

Boutique Giftshop and serves as Giftshop Director on Carolina East’s Auxiliary

Volunteer Board. Janell will jump in to help at the giftshop in any way that she

can. Janell was the Auxiliary’s Chairwoman for the years of 2021 through 2022.

She also organizes the Auxiliary Bake Sales that coincide with the Harbour’s bi-

annual Yard Sales and has made hot soup and chili lunches for the FH Craft Fair

in the fall. And if that’s not enough, Janell also sews baby blankets for our Baby

Blanket Christmas project in addition to helping sew some of the 230 stockings

that the Auxiliary makes for patients during the Christmas holiday. Thank you,

Janell, for your enduring dedication to the hospital auxiliary!

Volunteers Who Worked 5000 & 5500 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR

5,000 & 5,500 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE:

Ingrid Kaplin crochets many of the beautiful baby blanket sets that are sold

at the Camillia Boutique Giftshop. She also crochets the most adorable stuffed

animals for Carolina East’s pediatric patients and makes colorful afghans and

lap robes for our adult patients.

Volunteers Who Worked 5500 Hours

VOLUNTEERS WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 5,500 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE:

Carol Cavins has been with the FH Hospital Auxiliary for many years. She

volunteers at the hospital in the accounting department and the Camellia

Boutique Giftshop. She actually was the Camillia Boutique’s fabulous assistant

manager for five years! During the years of 2017- 2018 Carol was the FH Hospital

Auxiliary Chairwoman. When she’s not volunteering at the hospital, Carol knits

keychains for the Christmas stockings and she also helps to sew baby blankets

for the December Baby Blanket project. Thank you, Carol, for all the many things

you help to do for Carolina East Medical Center!

Jane Moore has also been with the FH hospital Auxiliary for many, many years

and still contributes even though she moved to Green Brier a few years ago.

Jane volunteers weekly at the Camillia Boutique giftshop and fills in whenever

she can. She sews the baby blankets for the Baby Blanket project where the

Auxiliary gives every infant born in December a beautiful blanket and matching

handknit beanie. Jane also sews the stockings for our Christmas Stocking

extravaganza, where the Auxiliary gives every patient, who is in the hospital

during the Christmas holiday, an overstuffed stocking filled with all kinds of

goodies. When she’s not doing all of the above, Jane knits beautiful afghans and

lap robes for patients in the hospital. Thank you, Jane!!

Volunteers Who Worked 7000 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 7,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE:

Pam Gaskill is ever so crafty as she sews stockings for our Christmas Stocking

project, makes stuffed animals for our pediatric patients, and sews and attaches

odds and ends for our fidget placemats for patients who need tactile support.

Pam also helps to trace and cut stocking pieces for the 230 Christmas stockings

we give to patients every Christmas. In addition to her many talents, Pam wrote

the monthly Hospital Auxiliary articles for the Beacon newspaper, and on a side

note she was the Beacon editor, too. Congratulations on the recognition for your

years of service, Pam!

Volunteers Who Worked 9500 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO EARNED THE AWARD FOR 9,500 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER

SERVICE:

(L) Sue Bischoff has volunteered for the FH Hospital Auxiliary and the hospital

for a good number of years. For the auxiliary she crochets, knits, and works with

canvas and yarn making keychains and frames for our Christmas stocking

stuffers. At the hospital she has volunteered at the pharmacy and answering

phones for the transporter service, but the position she enjoyed best was

serving as Secretary for the FH Hospital Auxiliary and the Carolina East Hospital

Auxiliary Board. Thank you for your dedication, Sue! (R) Pam Gaskill a current

volunteer for the FH Hospital Auxiliary.

Volunteers Who Worked 10,000 Hours

Volunteers Who Worked 18,000 Hours

VOLUNTEER WHO HAS VOLUNTEERED 18,000 HOURS FOR THE FH

HOSPITAL AUXILIARY:

Lucille Durst has been with the FH Hospital Auxiliary for more than

twenty years. In her early days she volunteered at the hospital, but

her true passion is serving with the Hospital Auxiliary. Lucille is the

chairperson for our BIG baby blanket project which she coordinates

and organizes every year. She has a team of wonderful sewers for the

150 blankets and many knitters for the matching beanie hats. Each

blanket/beanie set is given to infants who are born during the month

of December. Lucille also helps to trace, cut and sew some of the 230

Christmas stockings that the Auxiliary makes for patients who are

hospitalized during the Christmas holiday. You will find her working at

our bi-annual bake sales, too. Back in 2006-2007, Lucille served as the

FH Hospital Auxiliary Chairwoman. There is no doubt that Lucille

Durst is a dedicated and committed volunteer to our Auxiliary and a

wonderful example of what volunteerism is all about. Thank you,

Lucille!