Hard working volunteers at the Orange hospital have raised a record breaking $416,372.53 in a year – the highest net amount by a country hospital auxiliary.
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The 70 volunteers gave about 22,450 hours of their time to operate the hospital canteen and run raffles in the last financial year.
Their efforts will enable the hospital to buy equipment to improve health services.
Auxiliary president Tracey Wilkinson said it was the most money raised in the auxiliary’s 95 years.
“It is all volunteers. We don’t pay anybody anything,” she said.
“It absolutely does feel great. It means that we can have better specialist services here,” she said.
“People no longer have to go to Sydney for these essential services.”
We don't pay anybody anything.
- Tracey Wilkinson, Auxiliary president
Christine Hannus said she had been volunteering for seven years.
“I decided before I retired I was going to be part of the organisation out here,” she said.
“It has been very fulfilling coming two to three times a week. Everybody says thank you and says we’re doing a wonderful job. It gives you a sense of well-being.”
Judy Curtin has been volunteering for 12 years and started at the old base hospital.
“We do a lot of everything, what do they call us, dogsbodies,” she said.
Hospital general manager Catherine Nowlan said the record funds had been raised despite the canteen cutting out some products to promote healthier eating.
“They’ve achieved that [amount] by going sugar free,” she said.
“Orange is really fortunate because we really do have a generous community of volunteers.”
She said there would be an information night on November 26 to encourage more people to volunteer.
The United Hospital Auxiliary awarded Orange for raising the largest net amount of money and it was runner up for the largest gross amount and the amount per member.
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