We started the proceedings with a delicious meal prepared for us by the Stewart Memorial Hospital food services staff. They are undoubtably some of the best cooks on the Island!
Beautiful cold plate supper
And strawberry shortcake for dessert!
Doreen had the great pleasure as the Vice-president of the Prince Edward Island Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries to present life memberships to three of our members, Aleah MacLennan, Norma Ramsay and Verna Barlow. Here are their citations:
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PEIAHA Life Membership Nominations
ALEAH MACLENNAN
Aleah MacLennan joined the
Stewart Memorial Hospital Auxiliary in February 1990, and she has done a great
deal to help our Auxiliary and our hospital because of her dedication to both.
Aleah graduated from the PEI
School of Nursing and then in 1976 joined the staff at SMH, and we are so
grateful to still have her. She is a
very caring and committed nurse and auxilian.
In her role as RN, Aleah keeps
the Auxiliary up-to-date on what is needed for the care and comfort of the
residents and patients, and also what might assist the staff with their work. Her input is extremely valuable at Auxiliary
meetings when discussions arise on items requested by the hospital.
Aleah willingly prepares food
for every event the Auxiliary has and will do anything asked of her, which
often means juggling her shifts at the hospital.
Her demanding work schedule has
not always allowed Aleah to attend as many Prince Edward Island Association of
Healthcare Auxiliaries meetings or Canadian Association of Healthcare
Auxiliaries conventions as she would have liked, although for the two CAHA
conventions held on PEI in 2001 and 2009, she certainly did her share of the
work.
Aleah has a B.Sc.N. degree and,
along with three other classmates, put on the first hospice training session at
Prince County Hospital in 1988. She has
also served as the nursing representative on several SMH accreditation
committees and spent three years on the Advisory Council for the Status of
Women.
She is a member of the Port Hill
Women’s Institute, a member of the Lot 14 UCW and has served as elder at the
Lot 14 United Church. Aleah has also freely
given her time and talents to many local community groups. Proof of her total volunteer dedication is
that she takes her vacation during the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival just so she
is free to volunteer long hours in the kitchen preparing meals.
Aleah MacLennan is very
dedicated to her hospital, her community and to our Auxiliary, and we are
pleased to award her a Life Membership in the PEIAHA.
NORMA RAMSAY
Norma Ramsay first joined the
Stewart Memorial Hospital Auxiliary on January 26, 1968. After a few years away while she was busy
with work and raising a large family, we were fortunate to have Norma come back
to our group, and she is a dedicated and valued auxilian. Even when she wasn’t able to attend Auxiliary
meetings, Norma always supported our Auxiliary in whatever ways we needed.
Norma was the secretary of the
SMHA from 2004-06. She has attended
numerous Prince Edward Island Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries meetings,
along with approximately six Canadian Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries
conventions.
Norma was very involved with the
2009 CAHA convention in Charlottetown.
She sold lots of raffle and 50/50 tickets, all the while making everyone
feel very welcome.
Norma is also a great ticket
seller for our Auxiliary and for two years in a row undertook the huge task of pre-selling
tickets to our annual Valentine’s Dance.
She also managed to sell many raffle tickets, prepare food and help
set-up for the dances.
Norma plays the piano for our annual
Christmas sing-along with residents and patients. She is well known for her great musical ability
and plays the piano or organ for many church and community events. She belongs to the Tyne Valley Community
Choir and her church choir as well.
Norma was made a Life Member of
the Northam Women’s Institute, has been a life-long member of the United Church
and UCW and has been an elder and treasurer for the church.
Norma has been very involved
with the Ellerslie Legion and held many executive positions on their Ladies
Auxiliary, as well many executive positions on their provincial board. Norma’s unfailing dedication to the Legion
organisation led her to join the Tignish Legion Ladies Auxiliary when the
Ladies Auxiliary in Ellerslie disbanded.
Norma is a very caring and
devoted community volunteer who so freely shares her time and talents. We think
“ask and ye shall receive” is her motto, and we are pleased to award Norma
Ramsay with a Life Membership in the PEIAHA.
VERNA BARLOW
Verna Barlow joined the Stewart
Memorial Hospital Auxiliary in 1975 and from day one has done everything
possible to help, advise and guide our Auxiliary to be the best it can be.
Verna was SMHA President twice,
from 1977-79 and again from 1994-96. She
oversaw many special projects and events during those tenures.
Verna served as Vice-president
of the Prince Edward Island Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries from 2001-03
and was President from 2003-05. The
PEIAHA celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2004 and Verna planned a
great celebration meeting, which included giving special recognition to life
and charter members.
When the Canadian Association of
Healthcare Auxiliaries convention was in Charlottetown in 2001, Verna took a
very active part in the creation of the beautiful table favours for the
delegates’ breakfast, awards luncheon and banquet. She worked constantly and helped in a very
big way to make it one of the best conventions ever.
Verna has attended the majority
of PEIAHA meetings and has been to at least nine CAHA conventions. Wherever she goes she makes new friends and
adds so much to the proceedings.
As a staff person at SMH, Verna
is known as “the person to ask” if you need to know something or need someone
to help you. We have never known her to
say no!
Verna has been a member of the
Poplar Grove-MacNeill Mills Women’s Institute for over 30 years and is a
life-long member and volunteer for the Freeland Presbyterian Church.
Verna was named Volunteer of the
Year at the 2008 Tyne Valley Oyster Festival, and has received many special
awards for all she has done for her hospital, church and community.
She is usually the first to
offer to prepare food for any upcoming Auxiliary event and she is a great
organizer. Her quick wit makes her a wonderful
emcee.
There is only one Verna Barlow
and we are so lucky to have her, so it gives us great pleasure to award her a
PEIAHA Life Memebership.
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Verna Barlow, Aleah MacLennan and Norma Ramsay
After the citations were read, Doreen presented each woman with their Life Membership pin, certificate and a beautiful miniature rose plant. These three ladies have given so much to our Auxiliary and our community, so it was wonderful to honor them with this award.
Our annual meeting following the ceremony. We were very pleased to have Pam MacKinnon join us as the incoming President of the Auxiliary. She is already an incredibly busy and talented volunteer in the Tyne Valley area, so we are very fortune to have her join us.
Our meeting adjourned and we stepped out into a beautiful warm twilight. We won't meet again until September 17, but our next fundraising event is already underway: a raffle on a case of lobster. Tickets are $1 each and will be available for purchase during the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival during the first weekend in August.
Check out more pictures from the evening in our Picasa feed.
