Hospital Auxiliary celebrates 70 years of helping local healthcare

Justyne Edgell

Four Uxbridge Hospital Auxiliary past-presidents and one current president celebrate 70 years in Uxbridge at the annual Christmas luncheon, held last Monday. From left: Teri Murphy, Paula Donahoe, Catherine Ewing, Nancy Emo (current president) and Susan Long. Photo by John Cavers

In the mid 1950s, a group of Uxbridge residents, dedicated to healthcare in the community, held the inaugural meeting of the Uxbridge Cottage Hospital Auxiliary, “boldly setting out to raise awareness and funds to help build a local cottage hospital,” says the Auxiliary.

The organization is still in operation today, and this year - last Monday, in fact - they celebrate their 70th anniversary.

As some of the first champions of healthcare in Uxbridge, that early group of Auxiliary members and donors, in the mid 50s, played a large role in the Uxbridge Cottage Hospital officially opening its doors in 1959.

Since then, the Auxiliary has maintained an active membership and currently has over 250 dedicated volunteers whose talents and efforts are focused in two directions: patient services and fundraising. In 2024, the Auxiliary registered as a not-for-profit corporation.

In 1986, as a means of raising funds for the local hospital, the Auxiliary opened a little store called Chances Are, which is now one of the best-known shops in Uxbridge. Chances Are sells donated new and gently-used clothing and small housewares. The store is professionally staffed and maintained by business-minded and caring volunteers. On Tuesday, Dec. 10, Chances Are officially opened its doors to a brand new location at 2 Elgin Park Drive, with more space available to serve their customers. This transition is the fifth move since the store opened in 1986.

Along with Chances Are, the Auxiliary also operates the Cottage Hospital Gift Shop, a small boutique shop right in the hospital.

The Auxiliary also organizes events such as the annual "Run for the Diamond" marathon each June, and special sales throughout the year, like the Fall Mums Sale and the Christmas Poinsettia Sale, and has donated over $6 million to the Uxbridge Hospital Foundation since 2010.

“The money has been used for diagnostic equipment, including a mammography machine, and upgrading various systems throughout the hospital,” says the Auxiliary.

Additional UHA funds are designated to scholarships.