Blog: A Scheurer Thing

75+ Years Later, the Scheurer Auxiliary is Still Driven By Its Intended Purpose: Support Scheurer in Any Way Possible

Winston Churchill.
Madeleine Albright.
Henry Kissinger.
The Scheurer Auxiliary.

When you think of some of the best and most successful ambassadors in the world, the ranks of the Scheurer Auxiliary are certainly at the top of the list. Scheurer Hospital was founded in 1945, yet that was not the only pillar of the community created that year. The Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary also got its start in 1945 and they have not looked back ever since.

At almost any Scheurer event, you will likely find a team of busy Auxilians making sure that every need is met and that everything is to the best of its abilities. Today, the Scheurer Auxiliary consists of 66 active members, each with one goal in mind: to support Scheurer in any way possible.
The Scheurer Auxiliary has three goals:

• Support Scheurer Health through public relations and financial contributions
• Create awareness of the extensive operations taking place at Scheurer
• Fundraise through events with proceeds generously donated to Scheurer Health

These goals are taken to heart of every member and as a result are executed with great success. Since it was established in 1945, the Scheurer Auxiliary has donated $616,799.69 in official donations. Of course, that number is much higher and well over a million dollars when volunteer hours and unofficial or personal donations are taken into account. All of those dollars are raised through the hard work of the Auxiliary members through fundraising events such as the Scheurer Auxiliary Golf Outing, Lights of Love, Healthercise, Spring Luncheon & Style Show, Fall Fashion Show and a holiday cheeseball sale. Each event is chaired by an Auxiliary member and planned to great precision with the help of all of the Auxiliary members.

Susan Ward is the current and 41st President of the Scheurer Auxiliary. She has been a member since 2013 when she moved back to the area and felt that joining the Auxiliary was truly one of the best ways to get involved in the local community.

“Through my husband and my careers, we moved around a lot and from my experience the best thing to do was to just jump in and see what comes to the surface. I joined the historical society, I got into a book club, I started working out at the gym and then came across the Auxiliary. It became an avenue to get to know the community but also a great way to support the community."

“It provides an opportunity to meet people and feel like you’re really part of something special and very beneficial."

Each fundraiser is essential to the Auxiliary’s achievements as an organization. The golf outing takes place every August and has been a smashing success ever since it debuted in 1990. Peggy Leipprandt was one of the co-founders of the Scheurer Auxiliary Golf Tournament and has been an Auxiliary member now for 43 years.

Peggy’s involvement with Scheurer dates back even earlier to when she and her husband, Ted, were both on the fundraising committee to build the “new” hospital in 1969-1971.

“We (the community) raised all the money for the new hospital without any federal or state funding. That just goes to show how much everyone believes in Scheurer.”

In just the last five years, the Scheurer Auxiliary has donated over $100,000 to capital improvement projects taking place at Scheurer. When asked how the group is so successful in fundraising, Peggy Leipprandt put it simply, “I think we're the best ambassadors for the hospital. I think we put a good front out and when people think of the Auxiliary, they think of warm and kind people. I think we do a good job being ambassadors for the hospital.”

The Auxiliary’s impact on Scheurer can be felt in every corner of the organization. They have donated money that purchased anything from EKG machines to Lucas Chest Compression Systems for Scheurer EMS to a floor scrubber for Environmental Services to pharmacy refrigeration systems and almost literally anything in between.

Peggy added, “The hospital always has a wish list for us. In fact, one year we had a member’s husband who was a tall fellow. He had mentioned the beds weren't long enough. So that year we got some longer beds just because he complained. But when you look at all of those things that we contributed toward, wow. It’s an impressive achievement.”

In addition to fundraisers, the Auxiliary launched a new program in 2021 that is dedicated to supporting the Scheurer workforce called “Hands of Love.” Throughout the pandemic, additional stress and strain was without question put onto every healthcare worker across the globe. The Auxiliary acknowledged this and asked how they could help. As a result of that simple question, they developed a plan to send small notes of gratitude to every Scheurer employee, as well as delicious, homemade baked goods. The response was extremely well-received and all 488 Scheurer teammates appreciated the Auxiliary’s efforts. Many of the committee members of Hands of Love felt the impact they had on the workforce and helped fuel everyone’s spirit leading into the holiday season.

That type of response from the workforce leaves a lasting memory in every Auxilian’s heart and mind. Susan Ward feels that it is part of the reason why Scheurer has such a strong name in the community,

“Everyone is so proud of Scheurer. In fact, a neighbor of mine was in the hospital and their son-in-law was here from the Hamptons in New York. He said to them, ‘oh my gosh, that is the best little hospital over there.’ He was astonished and we were like, ‘well, yeah,’ not being boastful. It’s just that Scheurer is what it is because the people take such great pride in what is happening in this community.

“And that goes for the Auxiliary too. They are very proud of what Scheurer is able to provide and what they’ve been able to do to help that. When we give a capital improvement item with the money we raise, it’s not something lightly decided. We take into consideration what would have the biggest impact for our community. How would we best be able to serve the community?”

Peggy Leipprandt shared a similar sentiment, “I can't say enough about Scheurer. I've never heard of anybody that has been mistreated at Scheurer. Everybody is so kind and friendly and willing to do whatever they need to do. And when you've got people coming from the other communities to Scheurer. You know there's a reason.

“It starts at the top. You start at the top and if the top demonstrates the qualities that you want, that trickles down to the employees.

“When we have friends and relatives come to town, Scheurer is one of the first places that we show them, because this is us. This is who we are. The community has an impact on Scheurer and Scheurer has an impact on the community. We’re so proud of the employees that we have at Scheurer. Every one of them is top-notch. I can’t say enough about Scheurer, ever.”

Susan Ward concluded by saying, “I’d like to invite anyone to one of our meetings. Come and see what we’re all about. We’re a very welcoming and friendly bunch, all focused on making our community a better place through the hospital.”

Scheurer Health would not be what it is today without the help of our awesome Auxiliary and its devoted members. The Scheurer Auxiliary holds meetings nearly every month and membership is open to anyone who wants to help make a difference in the community.

If anyone is interested in attending a meeting and seeing what the Auxiliary is all about, please email SHauxiliary@scheurer.org.

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