Redlands Community Hospital Volunteer Wins the 2015 Auxiliary Quilt

If Redlands Community Hospital was a quilt, the volunteer auxiliary would be the golden thread that holds all of the patches together. It is only fitting that long time pharmacy volunteer Mary Mersereau won this year’s auxiliary quilt. Throughout the year, the auxiliary quilters work tirelessly to create a unique quilt and sell opportunity drawing tickets to raise money for Redlands Community Hospital Foundation. This year’s quilt has raised over $2,300. “The quilters embody the spirit of giving through their time and talents creating the annual quilt,” said volunteer services director Cherie Towers. Established in 1931, the auxiliary made quilts as a way to raise money to purchase hospital supplies. As the years passed, interest in quilt making faded, paving the way for other projects, such as hand puppets and holiday stockings for our youngest patients. In 1995, the tradition was resurrected due in part to the vision of current president and CEO Jim Holmes, former volunteer services director Pat Schindler, and auxiliary volunteer Eleanor Forhan. Today, the auxiliary quilters meet bi-weekly at the hospital and have already begun creating the quilt for 2017. Since 1995, the quilt project has raised over $40,000. A framed patch of the 2016 quilt is currently on display in the hospital’s gift shop, where opportunity tickets are available in the gift shop.