Lend a helping hand to those who help us

Your Hospital District is but one of a number of organizations in east Adams County that are concerned, to one degree or another, with health care. Few if any of those organizations have the kind of budget that similar organizations in non-rural areas of the state have, and so any sort of extra funding support they can get is always profoundly helpful.

For over thirty-five years, the East Adams County Healthcare Foundation, an all-volunteer group, has put in yeoman work in raising funds for distribution to the various healthcare organizations in this area, as well as for use in scholarships for area students pursuing a career in the healthcare field. The assistance they have provided to the District over the years has been generous and extremely helpful.

Recently, however, there has been a sort of hiccup in the Foundation’s situation. The generation of volunteers that had worked so long and hard to organize and run the

Foundation’s activities for years reached the point where it was time to pull back and take some time to smell the roses, as the saying goes. Normally, such turnover is not disruptive, as new volunteers step in to pick up the slack. But this time, for whatever reason, there was not a cadre of newcomers ready, and before anyone quite realized what was happening, the Foundation’s active membership had dwindled almost to non-existence.

Losing the Foundation would be a real tragedy for this community. Fortunately, with the realization that prompt action was needed, things are happening. Shelley Kramer has agreed to take on the role of Foundation President, but that is just a start.

The Foundation needs volunteers. This is a very worthy project that does a great amount of good in this community. The ongoing reorganization is an opportunity for anyone with some community volunteerism spirit to do good work. And hands and minds are needed: the work required just to bring off the annual fundraiser—unfortunately not held this year—is quite remarkable, but given enough people, it is not a dire burden on any one person. But it’s that “given enough people” that is the key: a small handful of workers would be drowned in tasks, whereas with a dozen volunteers, or better yet two dozen, everyone can contribute without it becoming a life-eating responsibility.

Please volunteer to pitch in and help. The Foundation’s next public meeting will be on

Thursday, November 8th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Bronco Inn. You can also call the District switchboard at 659-1200 and leave a message asking to have someone from the Foundation get back to you with more information.

Let’s please not let this wonderful organization fade away.