The Dauphin Healthcare Auxiliary announced in a news release that they have unanimously voted to dissolve operations after 120 Years. Auxiliary President Sharon Derhousoff talked about how hard the decision was to make.

“It is certainly with mixed emotions that we announce the end of a tremendous chapter of history that involves the Dauphin Health Care Auxiliary. On the one hand, very emotional that the organization realized it could no longer adequately support the acts of charity and kindness it has been known for over generations. On the other hand, we celebrate a legacy of so many positive accomplishments and cherish those memories and we do so with tremendous pride and a smile”

The decision ultimately came because of difficulty to fundraise over the past few years and an aging membership with a lack of new members. It has been known for several months that this was going to be the outcome, but Derhousoff says there were some things that had to be taken care of first.

“We’ve had to notify groups and organizations regarding some of the initiatives we had on the go. Some of these include the closure of the Hospital Gift Shop; advising the Mountain View School Division that there would no longer be a student bursary as well as advising the DRHC that the Auxiliary would no longer be participating in the Meals on Wheels program. We also had some contracts on vending machines to wind down. Plus, of course, we needed to do official accounting to properly close our books.”

As a final act of generosity, the Auxiliary will be splitting its remaining funds between the Dauphin Regional Health Centre and the Dauphin Personal Care Home.