Mon Health Auxiliary turns 80 and hopes for change

This is the third of a four-part Sunday series on the Mon Health Auxiliary and its work. The fourth story, which will air on November 3rd, will focus on the Auxiliary Ball of the Year.

David Beard
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MORGANTOWN – 80’s^th The anniversary year of the Mon Health Auxiliary begins with a year of change.

New President Bethann Gamponia recently took over from Chris Battin, whose term has just ended. They sat down with The Dominion Post to talk about what’s ahead.

“We really want to move the auxiliary forward and adapt to healthcare as it is today and also preserve the traditions, history and heritage that make us who we are,” Gamponia said.

The biggest sign of change, they say, is the annual Year Ball. On November 2 it will be 60’s^th – and the last thing.

“We go from the Ball of the Year to the Derby,” Battin said. “So we’re going to have a Kentucky Derby party in May.”

More specifically, May 3rd at the 4T Arena in Bridgeport.

There will be a corral with horses. The day will culminate with the Derby being shown on the big screen.

And, of course, there are clothes. Clothing is so important that the Derby website has a style guide for those attending the two-day event at Churchill Downs in Louisville. “The headpiece is the show, so start there and then follow with the rest of your outfit,” it says.

So the clothes will also be part of the Auxiliary Party. And mint juleps.

The event does not have an official name yet. They’re still working out the details and logistics, but say it will be a more low-key event than the Ball, a daytime and evening event that culminates with the Derby. There will be music in the background, but there will be no dancing like at the Ball.

The ball annually raises funds for a hospital support project. This year’s goal is to create an endowment fund to operate and maintain the Caring Cottage project: a complex of small buildings, each containing two furnished apartments, to serve patients and their families who come from out of town for care.

They started construction on the first cottage in July and have the ability to expand to six cottages if needed.

Derby party plan to be determined. The Auxiliary’s fiscal year ends in December, so with the 2025 financial budget set in January, they should have an idea of ​​what they want to support.

They expect a smaller event. The ball will attract about 600 people, and the 4T arena is smaller, so attendance is predicted to be about 300 people.

“We are more comfortable dealing with it ourselves as an aid,” Gamponia said.

They don’t have specific information, but they are looking to launch several new programs, Battin said.

“I think COVID kind of isolated people,” she said, “and kind of took away their sense of needing community because, you know, you had to be home to work.” But the hospital environment is very community-oriented.

One plan is a mentoring program for new physicians and their families to introduce them to Morgantown and what it has to offer.

“And hopefully we’ll grow our auxiliaries in the same way,” Gamponia said.

Cultural changes have hurt volunteering, Battin said. “Economy: both parents work but lack time, grandparents take care of grandchildren or travel. We’re trying to increase our membership.”

The Auxiliary has about 300 members across the country, but only about 60 active members, they said.

Supporting news

The latest Auxiliary newsletter lists some of the projects and sources of income.

Projects include activity kits for infusion patients, the Care Room, which provides clothing for patients returning home from the hospital, Angel Dresses for stillborns and newborns who do not survive, Kelsey’s Corner, which provides soft toys and activities for children, and a “Patient” Trolley for caring for patients staying longer than three days.

Total revenue reported in the 2023-24 annual report was $362,929. Most of that came from the 2023 Ball of the Year, $273,000. Sales and events totaled $89,929.

The top five fundraisers after the ball included football parking, $24,598; ZERO prostate cancer, $20,000; vending machines, $16,248; Trees to Go, $11,330; and designer bingo bag, $6,217.

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