Wednesday, July 16, the fog lifted over a glorious, breezy day dockside on the harbor. As the Junior Sailing School set sail from the pier, St. Andrews Auxiliary members absorbed the seaside atmosphere as they convened their annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. This was the Auxiliary’s third consecutive trip to the Yacht Club – a stunning venue.

Auxiliary President Patty Colhoun welcomed everyone, recognized the members of the Auxiliary Board of Directors and thanked all attendees for their dedicated service. Unlike many volunteers who center their membership around work at the Thrift Shop, Patty recalled how she began her Auxiliary volunteerism years ago on the medical side – reading and visiting with patients across St. Andrews.

Rev. Katherine Pinkham delivered an invocation full of gratitude and the call for luncheon was given. It was a lovely buffet, skillfully prepared and served by Chef Raymond and the Yacht Club staff. Lemon shrimp, chicken and rice pilaf, a medley of steamed vegetables and salad were served up with cups of delicious tomato bisque and a tasty dessert.

After putting in over 7,000 hours of service/year either at the St. Andrews Auxiliary Thrift Shop or on the medical side at St. Andrews Campus or St. Andrews Village, the 60+ volunteers attending were more than ready to kick back and enjoy a relaxing day. They shared their stories, hugs, met some new members and remembered the three Auxiliary members who passed away over the past year: Pat Yetman, Richard Plunkett and Arlene Smith.

Scholarship Chair Linda Redman introduced the guest speaker, Breanna Davis, a recent Auxiliary scholarship recipient. Breanna began as a CNA, but later, as a young mother, wanted to further her education in nursing. She got her nursing degree on scholarship at the University of Maine (Augusta) and is currently working at the Maine General Hospital in Augusta.

Auxiliary Membership Chair Sue Hochstein reported on eight new members who joined over the past year and introduced two of them – Pat Laehn and Marion Coleman who were in attendance.

Volunteer Service Hours Chair Carol Ostermann tried to calculate the total value of the 7,000 volunteer hours served in terms of dollars, but this gift of time was given freely and therefore is priceless! Carol was not surprised when it turned out that she had the highest number of years served within the Auxiliary . . . over 30!

Reven Oliver, director of philanthropy at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital, thanked the Auxiliary for the recent $20,000 donation that helped fund an X-ray machine which is now in service at St. Andrews Urgent Care. Another donation to the NICHE program helped to provide special training for area nurses.

The event concluded with much applause and appreciation to outgoing Social Chair Linda Clapp who has creatively handled the details of these events for the past four years.

Patty Colhoun reminded everyone that by mid-October there will be several important roles to fill throughout the organization (for 2-year terms): treasurer, 2nd vice president, publicity chair, social chair, seasonal co-managers. at the Thrift Shop. New volunteers are always welcome. If you are interested in a great cause that strengthens the medical community or if you know someone who is interested in applying for a medical related scholarship, please visit our lovely St. Andrews Auxiliary Thrift Shop for more information (207-633-5014). We are all volunteer – serving the medical community for over 70 years.