Pomerene Auxiliary members share unity and joy at event
The public enjoyed perusing and purchasing the more than 100 Christmas decorations at the 15th annual Pomerene Auxiliary Christmas Festival at Berlin Grande Hotel Dec. 5-7.
When it comes to developing a winter wonderland full of Christmas spirit, the crew from the Pomerene Hospital Auxiliary knows how to do it up right, and their effort Dec. 5-7 ushered in a bevy of Christmas joy for those who attended the event that featured 107 different Christmas entries of wreaths, trees, centerpieces and furniture.
The 15th annual Pomerene Auxiliary Christmas Festival at the Berlin Grande Hotel helps inspire the public to build on the Christmas spirit by offering plenty of opportunities to purchase Christmas décor that serves as a fundraiser for the auxiliary, but just as importantly, it is a time of reflection and camaraderie for the auxiliary board members and volunteers who pour themselves into this event as much as they do helping the hospital.
This year’s event was the biggest and most highly decorated one to date, with the community coming through by donating beautiful Christmas décor or by donating funds to the auxiliary for them to create decorations.
Either way it filled the large conference room at Berlin Grande Hotel with Christmas cheer.
For the auxiliary members, this event is always one they cherish, and it has created plenty of fond memories over the years.
“We work so well together and have great times, not only with this event, but all year,” auxiliary board member Lois Uhl said. “It’s fun to see this event come together, and it is a lot of work.”
Uhl said the members begin asking for donations for the event as early as July, and it’s impressive watching it all come together over the months leading up to the big day.
She said the other inspiring aspect is how the community gets behind the effort every year to show its support.
Auxiliary member Glenda Miller said her favorite part of the event is serving the community while simply being together in a Christmas setting with her friends and fellow auxiliary board members.
“It’s such a great group who really work well together,” Miller said.
Cindy Yoder said her favorite part is the togetherness and seeing the community join in on the fun and really express their thanks and dedication to Pomerene Hospital by supporting the event and the hospital’s mission.
“Seeing this all come together the way it involved all of our community truly warms my heart,” she said.
Ruth Hershberger said decorating for the event and transforming the Berlin Grande Hotel conference room into a Christmas spectacle is something she will always remember. She said with every decoration, the room glows bigger and brighter with Christmas spirit.
“I love the way that we all jump in and work together to get this accomplished to create something special,” Hershberger said. “It really comes to life, and we get to do it all together.”
Board member Emma Carpenter said over the past 15 years, this event has continued to serve as a valuable asset to the hospital, and one thing she relishes about the event is seeing all the ways the community and the auxiliary create each piece.
“We start putting this together, and as we decorate, it just gets more touching to see how beautiful it turns out to be,” Carpenter said. “Each piece adds its own element to the event, and it makes it so beautiful. That we get to do this together makes it all the more special.”
Kathy Schlabach, a newcomer to the auxiliary board, was experiencing the event for the first time. She said she was in awe of how stunning the room became once everything was in place and was honored to be part of something that matters so much to the hospital and to the community it serves.
“I didn’t realize the tremendous amount of work this takes, and I was blown away by the incredible amount of community support we experienced,” she said. “It’s so neat to think that with all of the fundraisers going on right now in our community that so many businesses and individuals are willing to go above and beyond and support us so well.”
Schlabach said she won’t ever forget how easily people opened up their hearts and their checkbooks when she stopped by all the respective businesses to seek support.
Creating Christmas joy is one reason for the event, but the sense of community, awareness and commitment to support Pomerene Hospital is every bit as important and cherished by those who put this event together.
Pomerene Hospital board member Jamie Tippett served as a judge for the first time for the event.
“This certainly gets everyone in the Christmas spirit, and what a great cause,” Tippett said. “Our auxiliary is so dedicated to the hospital, and the board appreciates them so much. They allow us to do so many various projects throughout each year, and they are so dedicated to serving both the hospital and the community.”
When all 107 items were sold, all raffle tickets were purchased and prizes were drawn, this event proved to play an important role in supporting the community hospital as it gives back and serves others.