Plains Regional Medical Center auxiliary donating $50,000 to hospital

CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Plains Regional Medical Center auxiliary outgoing president Ina Chandler, front, and member Judy Wylie worth together to stock shelves in the gift shop at PRMC.

After years of saving, the Plains Regional Medical Center auxiliary has a $50,000 check to hand over to the hospital.

Phyllis Davidson, bookkeeper with the auxiliary, said the money came from sales at the gift shop the auxilians run at the hospital. She said each time their checking account had an extra $10,000 in it, they purchased a certificate of deposit from local banking institutions.

The auxiliary operates independently of the hospital.

Davidson said usually each department in the hospital gives the auxiliary a wish list of things they need and when the group can, they buy them.

That didn’t happen this year.

“We don’t just want to sit on that money,” she said. Especially when it can go to some good use.”

Davidson said this is largest donation the group has given to anyone. The second largest was a gift of $25,000 to the hospital several years ago.

“We’re real excited that we’ve done this,” Davidson said. “The hospital has been real good to us. They give us a place to do our job. Clovis is very lucky to have this hospital.”

Paula Johnston, gift shop coordinator for the Pink Ladies, said the group is happy to give the hospital the money.

“This is a big success for the auxiliary. I’m proud for our members,” Johnston said.

Administrator Hoyt Skabelund said he feels an accountability to spend the gift in a way that honors the auxiliary.

“The auxiliary is an amazing organization. It’s one thing to give money, it’s another thing to give time and that’s what they give us every day,” he said.

Skabelund said the administration is planning to put the money into a history display in the main lobby of the hospital.

The display would showcase the history of the hospital from when it opened in September 1978. It would include a video display showing a video history of Presbyterian, PRMC parent company.

“The auxilians are known as the hospital historians,” Skabelund said. “This is an ideal way to capture the history they’ve created. They’ve been apart of our hospital since the day we opened our doors.”

The display would also serve as a donor recognition board.

“We’ve previously not had a public way to thank our donors,” the administrator said.

The $50,000 donation from the Pink Ladies would provide 66 percent of the $75,000 needed for the project.

Davidson said the balance from the CDs of $8,500 will go back into another CD to start the process all over again.

“We like it when we can give them a large amount. They can do more with it. It’s nice to do something big,” she said.