Shands Auxiliary celebrates 50th anniversary, tradition of long-term volunteering
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2011) – Charlotte Jeffrey majored in mathematics at the University of Chicago, but even she would have trouble calculating the number of hours she has volunteered at Shands at the University of Florida.
Jeffrey, has been a member of the Shands at UF Auxiliary for 33 years.
The Shands at UF Auxiliary celebrates its 50th anniversary Feb. 28. The hospital volunteer group’s commitment to service is reflected in Jeffrey’s story as well as the stories of other men and women who have offered decades of dedication to this program.
The Auxiliary oversees the information desk at Shands at UF and members comfort patients as they prepare for surgery. The group also manages the hospitality cart, is a co-owner of the Gift Stop, sponsors a scholarship fund and supports an endowment that provides money for new facilities and patient- and family-centered services.
On Feb. 25, Shands will host a private luncheon for Shands at UF Auxiliary volunteers and will post a banner celebrating their years of service, said Constance Keeton, Shands at UF volunteer services director.
Jeffrey was the president of the Shands at UF Auxiliary in 1986 when it celebrated its 25th anniversary. She has watched the Shands at UF Auxiliary grow since 1978, when she began her volunteer work at Shands and sat with patients to comfort them before surgery. Jeffrey and her family are closely connected to Shands. Her father, Lester Dragstedt, M.D., was a surgeon at Shands. Her niece worked there as a pediatric resident and her nephew is completing a fellowship in cardiology with the UF College of Medicine at Shands at UF.
Jeffrey later helped with the candy cart, which raises money for scholarships to the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health and Health Professions. She now works at the information desk, where the connections she has established during her time at Shands make it easy for her to relate to patients and discover mutual acquaintances.
“You always feel good when you help somebody,” Jeffrey said. “That’s my motto in life, and that’s what the auxilians do. Every single one will tell you they feel better when they work here.”
Keeton said patients and families also feel better knowing they can rely on the reassurance offered by the auxilians.
“They are the face of Shands,” Keeton said. “Often the first person someone encounters at Shands is an auxilian.”
Alicia Churchill currently serves as the Auxiliary’s chairwoman of Shands at UF surgical family room and served as the president of the Shands at UF Auxiliary from 1983 to 1985. She has been with the Auxiliary for 36 years and developed close relationships with patients. When one woman had five surgeries at Shands at UF, Churchill formed friendships with her and her family and invited them over to her house for lunch.
“They were part of my family,” she said.
Volunteering with the auxiliary gives Churchill a sense of accomplishment.
She also believes lending a hand at Shands at UF has another advantage.
“I think volunteering makes you live longer,” Churchill said.
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