Community Hospital honored its auxiliary, home health and hospice, event committees, hospital and foundation board of directors and foundation volunteers recently at a dinner at the Bieroc Café with the theme, “Hats Off to Our Volunteers.”

Jim Ulrich, Community Hospital President and CEO, welcomed the volunteers and thanked them for their service to the hospital. Susan Harris-Broomfield and Ulrich presented the 2007 auxiliary awards.

Dinner music was provided by Caleb Nielsen-Sheffield on the piano.

Betty Harsh was announced as the first Anne Morse Volunteer Award recipient, which was presented to her son and his wife, Dell and Sherry Harsh, in her absence.

Betty joined St. Catherine’s Hospital Auxiliary in 1970 as an active member and served as president in 1974, 1975 and 1996. She was described as a “faithful” volunteer who moved into the associate member status in 2000. At that time, she had volunteered 4,424 hours of service to the auxiliary, which is equivalent to 553, 8-hour days.

As president of the auxiliary at St. Catherine’s Hospital, Mrs. Harsh oversaw auxiliary activities such as delivering mail to patients, writing letters for patients, providing canteen services for patients and visitors and issuing passes for visitors during visiting hours. During the hospital construction, the auxiliary pledged $1,000 per year for five years toward the hospital construction fund, and a pledge of a $100 annual scholarship for a teenager going into full-time medical service.

Bake sales in the spring and fall, and a Christmas bazaar in early December were the sources of the funds. Most of these services, along with a number of new services are still offered at Community Hospital.

As the Anne Morse Volunteer Award recipient,   Mrs. Harsh received an honorary gift of $500 from an anonymous benefactor which is, in turn, presented to the Community Hospital Health Foundation. Betty chose to have her honorary gift be directed to the greatest need at Community Hospital.

At 97 years old, Mrs. Harsh lives in a McCook retirement home and still does needlepoint. Her friend and award namesake, Anne Morse, is 91 and continues to volunteer at Community Hospital three days a week.