Southeast Missouri Hospital salutes those who help

Sometimes volunteers receive an award for their service, not often are they honored by having an award named for them.

At Southeast Missouri Hospital's annual auxiliary and volunteer appreciation dinner the Ilena Aslin Auxiliary Service Award was established, with Aslin being its first honoree.

Also at the dinner themed "An Evening with the Stars -- Our Volunteers" the Spirit Award was given and $35,000 was dedicated to a major hospital expansion.

The Aslin service award was created to honor Aslin's dedicated service to the hospital and perpetuate her spirit through coming generations of auxilians. She was recently named Auxilian of the Year by the Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaries. She also serves in the surgical waiting room and as a hospitality volunteer and fund raiser. Aslin has contributed more than 4,000 hours of service in leadership and work capacities since joining the auxiliary in 1994.

Service award

Dolly Jewel was recognized for her service through auxiliary committees as a recipient of the Margaret Foster Roberts Auxiliary Spirit Award. Jewel currently chairs the auxiliary scholarship committee that awards health-related scholarships annually. Her latest achievement was to introduce the emergency room family advocate program. Jewel has been a member of the auxiliary since 1978 and has served in leadership positions at the local and state level, currently serving as second vice president of the state association.

Also at the dinner, auxiliary treasurer Dick Hammond presented a check for $35,000 to Southeast Hospital CEO Jim W. Wente. The money is earmarked for the hospital's surgery expansion project. The addition of that check brings the auxiliary's contribution to the project to $90,908. That is almost a third of the $200,000 the auxiliary last year pledged to raise over three years.