A variety of items are on sale at the Thrift Shoppe at 9236 Main St in March.
The Shoppe will be closed on Monday March 9 for our annual meeting. Thanks for your patronage.
Pocket books are 25 cents each.
Hard cover 50 cents each.
Harlequin books are 5 for 25 cents.
So many opportunities to give back with the Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary! The Hospital Auxiliary has been helping Chilliwack since 1911. Read a bit about our history.
Our primary goal is to donate money to the Chilliwack Hospital for equipment which recently included the new CT Scanner. Each Christmas we contribute to the various hospital departments such as Parkholm, Cedar Park, Psychiatric Department, Heritage Village and Bradley Centre.
We also give out 12 bursaries each year to deserving students entering a medical profession.
Our regular programs include the Information Desk, Ambulatory Day Care Program, PATH (Patient Assistance to Home) Tea Service, Palliative Care, Companionship Visiting Program, Outpatient Diabetes Clinic and we also added some new programs such as Paediatric Unit and Maternity.
Our knitting case by the front desk is operated solely by the Auxiliary and with the generous help of the Chilliwack Community ladies, we receive beautifully knitted baby clothes which we sell to raise money for the hospital. There are opportunities to knit for us and sell these items.
Our Thrift Shoppe at 9236 Main St. requires several volunteers to keep the Shoppe operating smoothly each day that it’s open so there are plenty of opportunities to help.
In addition to these money-makers, we hold bake sales at the Vendors Corner in the hospital each May and November and such fundraisers as pub nights and selling Purdy Chocolates etc.
We have changed the frequency of our monthly meetings to once every three months to encourage more membership to attend.
Our annual membership fee is $12 but for that you have the opportunity to attend conferences each year without any charge to you.
All in all, there are many benefits to joining our society so when you check the CGH Auxiliary box at the bottom of page 1 of the application form, there are many opportunities for you. The biggest one is meeting new people and having fun doing it.
On August 17, 2019 we joined Lock’s Pharmacy on “volunteer lane” to celebrate their 70th anniversary. Congratulations to Lock’s Pharmacy and here’s to many more years of service.
Here are some photos of our day. The band Chilliwack closed the show with their great hits. What a performance!
Did you know the Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary was organized and received our charter in 1911 and that the Chilliwack Hospital officially opened in 1912? In 1944 the Auxiliary introduced the baby case at the hospital from which knitted baby clothes are still sold today. In 1999 our Thrift Shoppe opened at 9236 Main St. To date we have raised an astounding 6.1 million for hospital equipment.
We’ve been through two world wars and countless adversities and we’re still raising money for our cause. Times have changed and fundraising has become a huge challenge. Gone are the days of being on the weekly society page of our local paper. There are many charities in our community competing for donations from individuals and stores alike. Potential volunteers have less time on their hands now with many looking after grandchildren and aging parents or holding down more than one job or working later in life.
There are still many potential volunteers out there who may be willing to lend a hand. Do you have 4 hours a week to help out at the Thrift Shoppe or one of our many hospital services?
Do you love to knit and would like to help us by donating some of your lovely baby clothes to our knitting case?
Do you have older teenagers at home who need volunteer hours to complete a course in high school? They could help us with our social media or maybe help on a Saturday at the Shoppe. Are you new to the neighbourhood and want to make new friends and have fun? If your answer is yes to any of the questions, we would like to hear from you.
CONNECT with us through our facebook page, visit the info desk at the hospital, or our Thrift Shoppe at 9236 Main St for an application form.
Please help us carry on our tradition in the community.
Volunteerism is good for the soul.
In 1923 “the Auxiliary added cheerfully to their responsibilities by offering to furnish the new nurses’ home” built by the Hospital Board.[1] The selected and purchased the furnishings for the home, as well, as six private wards. The cost to the Auxiliary was $1,030 (about $15, 301 in 2018 dollars). The sewing and purchasing committee, headed by Mrs. Mabel Fox and Mrs. Elvira Day, was augmented for purpose of furnishing the nurses’ home. Donations of dishes, pictures, towels, books, a gramophone where received from the community.
The nurses’ home opened May 5, 1924 on a bright, sunny day with the smell of lilac blossoms in the air. The women of the auxiliary decorated the home and hospital with flowers and presided over a tea table for the over 250 people who attended the opening.[2]
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Text excerpted with permission from Commitment to Caring: Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary’s 100 years, 1911-2011 by Andrea Lister.
The women of the Auxiliary have been busy spreading cheer throughout the healthcare community. Snacks for staffs and $1000 cheques to the Psychiatry department, Bradley Centre, and the Parkholm Lodge Net Care Program.
Have you ever wondered what equipment the Auxiliary has purchased with the money that it they raise?
Here is a small sample of recent purchases. Make sure you say thank you the next time you see a member in their red jacket.
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Chilliwack Library
Join writer and historian Andrea Lister as she follows the generations of determined women who fundraised, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack’s first hospital. These women supported the hospital and their community for 100 years, through wars, depression, recession and social change.
Andrea Lister is the 2012 Chilliwack Heritage Award winning author of Commitment to Caring: Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary’s 100 Years, 1911-2011. She is the editor of British Columbia History, the British Columbia Historical Federation’s flagship publication. As the great-granddaughter of the founding member of the Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary, Andrea was asked to write their history for their 100th anniversary. The book reflects Andrea’s belief that history is the ongoing story of ordinary men and women who shape our world.
Commitment to Caring: Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary’s 100 Years, 1911-2011 is now available as an ebook for the Kobo reader and for Kindle.
Follow Andrea on Goodreads 
CHILLIWACK, BC. – The role that dedicated volunteerism of generations of women have played in the delivery of healthcare in the Fraser Valley is an ongoing story that deserves to be known.
Commitment to Caring: Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary’s 100 Years, 1911-2011 is now available as an ebook for the Kobo reader and for Kindle. Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of women who have supported the hospital and the community for 100 years through wars, depressions, and social changes. All proceeds from the sale of this book go towards the purchase of equipment for the Chilliwack General Hospital.
Retail price: $2.99
ISBN: 978-0-9868333-1-1 (electronic edition)
Available at www.kobobooks.com.
Available at www.amazon.com.
Commitment to Caring was awarded a 2012 Chilliwack Heritage Award by the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society.
Andrea Lister was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. As the great-granddaughter of the founding member of the Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary, Andrea was asked to write their history for their 100th anniversary. Fortunately, tenacity runs in the family. Commitment to Caring reflects Andrea’s belief that history is the ongoing story of ordinary men and women who shape our world.
Just over 101 years since the Chillwack Hospital Auxiliary was founded they have launched their Facebook page. Please visit and “like” our Facebook page.
On this page you can check out upcoming events, fundraising campaigns, our timeline, and more to come in the months ahead.
