CAPE GIRARDEAU HOSPTIALS RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS; BAUMSTARK AWARD TO CARRIE SUEDEKUM

Carrie Suedekum, a charter member and past president of the St. Francis Medical Center Auxiliary, was named recipient of the Vernice Baumstark Award for outstanding service to the organization and the hospital Thursday.

Auxiliary president Fran Rediger also presented the hospital with a $39,000 contribution representing proceeds from gift shop sales and other fund-raising activities.

Part of the donation, along with funds to be raised next year, will be used to help establish a new gift shop at the hospital, Rediger said.

Funds raised also went to the Sister Esther Fund, the medical staff library, the Womancare conference, Body Shop scholarships and purchases of equipment for use throughout the hospital.

The gift shop, which will be in the new medical building, will be "very large and very beautiful," she said.

Suedekum, of Cape Girardeau, and other volunteers were honored Thursday during the annual auxiliary and volunteer appreciation luncheon. Volunteers and auxiliary members contributed more than 65,000 hours of service to the hospital last year.

The hospital's auxiliary was established in 1959, and Suedekum has held every office and chaired almost every committee within the organization.

She said she likes everything about working for the hospital.

"I think the most important thing to me is the people and helping them," she said. "Everybody's so confused, and you can help direct them to where they need to be."

Suedekum helped found the hospital's first gift shop, and she's glad to see a new one in the works, thanks to the auxiliary's donation.

She said: "You should have seen how we started out over at the old hospital: one little room, and I think we had mirrors up. We went up on Friday nights and we had to do the cleaning and the ordering and the straightening out, but of course it wasn't too big."

Suedekum serves as the auxiliary's liaison to the Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaries and volunteers Friday mornings in the surgical waiting room.

She is active in a number of community organizations, including Trinity Lutheran Church and the church's social service board, the Wednesday Club, the Salvation Army and the United Way. She is also a past den mother and president of the Trinity Lutheran School PTA.

The Baumstark Award was established in 1959 to recognize auxiliary members for leadership and tireless efforts on behalf of the hospital, said Mary Margaret "Boots" Staley, a former auxiliary president who presented the award to Suedekum.

Past recipients of the award include Vernice Baumstark, Ann Bradshaw, George Staley, Marie Beaty, Francis Felter, Staley and Ann Drury.

Through efforts of Suedekum and other volunteers, the hospital becomes "not only a center of health, but a center of healing," said hospital president John Fidler.

New auxiliary officers installed at the luncheon were recording secretary Betty Copanas, corresponding secretary Dorothy Ressel, and treasurer Lucille Grojean. Incumbent officers are president, Rediger; president-elect, Cathy Marchi; and vice president, Carolyn Wright.