CAPE GIRARDEAU HOSPITALS RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS; HARRISON, TAYLOR HONORED FOR SERVICE

The Southeast Missouri Hospital Association honored volunteers and longtime trustees for outstanding service to the hospital Thursday night.

Receiving the Special Service Award were volunteers Traci Taylor, a Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School student who established the Toy Train in the hospital's pediatrics department, and Wenona Harrison, a longtime member of the hospital auxiliary. Harrison donates flowers from her garden to make arrangements that are sold at the auxiliary's gift shop.

Taylor, 15, started the Toy Train a few years ago after she was hospitalized at Southeast for a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia.

She said she got the idea from a crafts project at a Texas hospital in which she was a patient.

"They had a kind of a crafts cart, and I looked forward to it every week," Taylor said. "When I came here they really didn't have too much for the older kids, so I thought of the toy train."

Taylor's father and brother built the train, and the toys on it are given to young patients to keep.

"It makes you feel good to see them cheer up," she said.

Over the last 10 years Harrison's flower arrangements have raised $28,450 for the auxiliary.

Harrison said she got the idea because the auxiliary couldn't afford to purchase flowers to offer for sale in the gift shop.

"I thought, I've got extra and I'd like to take them over there sometime," she said.

Harrison began volunteering at the hospital after she retired and has worked in the snack bar as well as the gift shop, contributing more than 7,000 volunteer hours.

She raises roses, jonquils, azaleas, Dutch iris, oriental lilies various kinds of daisies for the bouquets.

Recognized with Outstanding Service Awards were longtime trustees Paul L. Ebaugh, Martin Hecht, Howard C. Tooke and T. Frank Waltz Jr.

Ebaugh served as a member of the active Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1991, and was a founding member in 1977 and first president of the hospital's foundation board of directors. He is a member of the foundation's Million Dollar Club Silver Partner program and the 21st Century Partners program.

Hecht, in the tradition of service and philanthropy of his father, Louis Hecht, served on the hospital's first board of trustees, starting in 1949 and continuing through 1970. During that time he served as president and vice president of the board.

He has been a member of the hospital foundation's board since its establishment and is a member of the foundation's Million Dollar Club Gold Partner program and the 21st Century Partners program, and has participated in numerous fund-raising programs. Most recently Hecht served as honorary co-chairman of a campaign to raise more than $1.5 million to help fund construction of the clinical services building.

Took served on the board of trustees from 1972 to 1995, and was a past president and vice president. He led the hospital through a $2 million renovation of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Center and the addition of a seven-bed cardiothoracic intensive-care unit at the Regional Heart Center.

Waltz served as an active member of the board of trustees from 1968 to 1983, devoting his time to numerous fund-raising campaigns and committees.

The board introduced the new campaign "A Better Life, A Better Way," which encourages a spirit of collaboration for better health in the community through more information about healthy habits, exercise, early diagnosis of medical problems and effective medical treatment.

Re-elected to the board were J. Ronald Fischer, Ann Harrison Brinkopf, Mike Kohlfeld, David Limbaugh, Narvol Randol Jr., Mike Richey and Allen L. Spitler. Newly-elected trustees are Harold Kuehle, Frank McGinty and Al Spradling III. John Lichtenegger was appointed to fill a vacancy.

Ed Brasington and Max Stovall were named honorary trustees.