Mary Steinbach
2016-2017 Post #79
Auxiliary President
Mary Steinbach 319-230-9318 or mjonlyu@mchsi.com
Am very proud of our local auxiliary members for the outstanding work they have done this past year throughout our community. As you know we fill out reports every 6 months and then compile that information to apply for State awards. This year at State convention we had the following winners: Runner up for the greatest % of membership gain, Wanda Benning for signing up most new members, Amy Slaba for signing most renewals, Wanda Benning for signing up 5 or more new members, Jean Lanske for bringing back 2 or more previous members, runner up for Child Welfare, Winner of the Community Service Award, Winner of the Scrap Book, Jean Lanske for the Hospital Award, and Runner up for the Hospital Chairman’s Award. As you see, our Auxiliary works hard for our veterans and our community. Your continued membership is very important to us and the work we do for our veterans, their families, work within the hospitals and care facilities, and our community. If you know someone that qualifies as an Auxiliary member and would like to join us and the work we do, please have them contact me for more details. We are always looking for more of our auxiliary members to turn in their information to use for the reports. Wouldn’t it be nice to be “winners” of all the categories?
I want to pass on more information about our State Convention. This year we had two great guest speakers. The first was Barbara Werning-Dee form the Ronald McDonald House Charities. She gave us a lot of information about their programs and how they are expanding into other hospitals throughout Iowa. Just collecting pop tabs have generated over $14,000 annually for their organization. This is a simple way for our auxiliary to help. Collect, turn them into us or to the McDonalds in Waverly. They are also looking for new Teddy Bears and new “tied blankets”. They use these as a gift to the children and younger teens while at the hospitals for a comfort during their stay and can take them home when they are released.
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE
Our homes are filled with more than help, they’re filled with hope
Many families travel far from home and spend several weeks or months to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children – a long time to be away or to divide a family. And, for children facing a serious medical crisis, nothing seems scarier than not having mom and dad close by for love and support. A Ronald McDonald House is that “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost.
Our Houses are built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. We believe that when a child is hospitalized the love and support of family is as powerful as the strongest medicine prescribed.
Allow Families to Face the Weight of Illness Together
Families are stronger when they are together, which helps in the healing process. By staying at a Ronald McDonald House, parents also can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed. They can also focus on the health of their child, rather than grocery shopping, cleaning or cooking meals.
Allow Children to Get the Best Care
When your child is sick, you want the best care possible – even if it is hundreds or thousands of miles away. The Ronald McDonald House allows families to access specialized medical treatment by providing a place to stay at little or sometimes no cost.
Services for Families
At every House, families can enjoy:
Home-cooked meals
Private bedrooms
Playrooms for children
Depending on the House, these services may also be available:
Special suites for children with suppressed immune systems
Accredited education programs
Recreational activities
Non-clinical support services
Sibling support services
The generosity of volunteers and donors make it all possible. In return, families either stay at no cost or are asked to make a donation up to $25 per day, depending on the House. The RMHC Global Policy is that families are never turned away; if it’s not possible to pay, the fee is waived.
Collect Pull Tabs Pull tabs that are collected and donated are then recycled. Annually the pull-tabs collection program generates over $14,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa. Go to: www.RMHC-EIWI.org for more information
We also had Wayne Heiserman speak to us about himself and his service dog from Retrieving Freedom. It is hard to relay his message to us without getting emotional about how important “Oreo” has been to him and how “Oreo” saved his life.
Election of State Officers
Below you will find the new State Of Iowa Auxiliary Officers. You will see I have been elected at State President, Donna as 3rd Vice, Kathiee as Historian, and Jean is still our Hospital Rep. for the Marshalltown VA Home. Sooooo! Very proud of our local auxiliary members working hard here and on the State level.
President-Mary Steinbach, 1st Vice Carol Finger, 2nd Vice Brenda Taylor, 3rd Vice Donna Fischer, Tresurer Lorna Golson, Chaplain Karen Ann Miller, Historian Kathiee Pitt, Sgt. of Arms Mary Schneider, NEC Woman Nancy Carrier, Alt. NEC Woman Gail Bunz, Sports Committee Nancy Fingeroos, Delegate to National Carol Finger, Alternate to National Convention Nancy Kemp, Secretary Sara Mason.
We waited together, now let’s work together.