MDI Hospital Auxiliary
A volunteer based support to MDI Hospital since 1948.
About MDI Hospital Auxiliary
The MDI Hospital Auxiliary acts as a liaison between MDI Hospital and the local community. Members organize events and volunteer their time and skills to raise financial support for a variety of needs around MDI Hospital.
Members support our annual fundraising efforts through volunteering at various events, baking delicious treats and serving as ambassadors for the Hospital. These efforts help to provide important philanthropic support for needed programs and services.
How to Join
Join today by filling out the online form on our website. $10 in dues are required once annually. Questions on joining? Please feel welcome to contact Penny Read, President & Membership Chair, or Trey Michonski, Community Engagement Specialist.
You may also print and mail your Membership Form, with a check for $10, to MDI Hospital Auxiliary, Attn.: Mariah Cormier, MDI Hospital Office of Advancement, 10 Wayman Lane, P.O. Box 8, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
Then and Now…
History of the MDI Hospital Auxiliary
With a rich history in giving back to MDI Hospital, the MDI Hospital Auxiliary has served the hospital and its community for over 75 years.
There have been 34 esteemed presidents since its inception with the first being in 1948: Marion Morse.
Today’s group of volunteers continue to uphold past traditional events as well as seek out new ways to connect with the community and ultimately give back to MDI Hospital.
Learn More About the History of the MDI Hospital Auxiliary...
In the summer of 1948, Mount Desert Island Hospital was at a critical crossroads. Less than one year after the catastrophic MDI wildfire, and not long after World War II’s end, economic challenges gripped the small hospital that had served this Island community for 51 years. The need to modernize facilities was pressing. The entire country was experiencing a shortage of nurses, and MDI Hospital was no exception. Basic supplies were running short; equipment and furnishings required upgrading. And at the same time, the Hospital’s patient population was on the rise, seeking up-to-the-minute healthcare from this renowned local institution. The front page of the Bar Harbor Times on July 15th stated it clearly: “Mount Desert Island Hospital Faces Possibility of Closing Due to Financial Situation.” Our Island community responded to this crisis as they always do: with skill, urgency, and commitment. A call went out to every club and society on Mount Desert Island to appoint a representative; then, on October 12th, 34 interested parties met at the YWCA in Bar Harbor.
MDI Hospital Auxiliary's Marion Joy Morse
Marion Joy Morse spearheaded this gathering. Her place of business, the Belmont Hotel, had been one of Bar Harbor’s most celebrated destinations before the Fire of 1947 when it burned to the ground. She brought her business acumen and passion to this task; when the group adjourned that night, the template for the Mount Desert Island Hospital Auxiliary was firmly established, with Mrs. Morse as its first president. Within a year, the Auxiliary had attracted 244 members from every Island town. The organization hosted fundraisers and teas, but remarkably, they also set their hands to the immediate, urgent needs of the Hospital. They sewed johnny gowns for inpatients; layettes for newborns; bed sheets for patient rooms and the operating room; and coverings for ice bags and hot water bottles. They purchased sturdy pushcarts for books and magazines and volunteered in sharing these with patients. All of this was in year one!
70 Strong Years
For 70 years since that time, the Auxiliary’s activities have adapted to the needs of the day, but the zeal they bring to service never changes. In their earlier years, they organized, stocked, and staffed a coffee/gift shop. As another project, the group selected one patient room annually, to be fully re-furnished and decorated. They maintained lists and organized activities for every MDI Hospital volunteer. In 1961, a Hospital spokesperson called the MDI Hospital Auxiliary “a great force for volunteer work and, more than that, a gratifying proof of the place the Hospital holds in the community.” We could not agree more.
Roles & Officers
Penny Read
Auxiliary Officer
Barbara Baron Gifford
Auxiliary Officer
Holly Gray
Treasurer
Chad Kessel
Secretary
MDI Hospital Auxiliary Committees
MDI Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Committee
Open to graduating high school seniors, the MDI Hospital Auxiliary scholarship benefits local students persuing higher education.
Since 1972, the MDI Hospital Auxiliary has been honored to award Marion Joy Morse Scholarships to talented Island students who plan to pursue a career in healthcare. In memory of their founder’s dedication to this region’s healthcare needs, the scholarships have created a strong legacy of higher education in Downeast Maine, supporting scores of nurses, physicians, and other medical professionals.
Deborah Dyer
Scholarship Committee Chair
About the Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Committee...
The Chair of the Scholarship Committee and the members of the committee oversee the process for awarding the annual funds to qualifying students and distributing the encumbered promised scholarships concurrently.
Marion Joy Morse’s Legacy
On October 12, 1948, Marion Joy Morse presided over the first meeting of the MDI Hospital Auxiliary. Since that founding day, every single patient at MDI Hospital has benefited from Marion’s vision and leadership. Over the years, her philanthropy has helped pave the way for many of the Island’s students by helping them to fulfill their aspirations of pursuing careers in the healthcare field.
Marion Joy Morse raised her family in Bar Harbor, on Roberts Avenue. She was an accomplished business owner and proprietor of the Belmont Hotel, which once stood near the corner of Mount Desert and Kebo Streets. Her beloved business burned to the ground in the fire of 1947. Undaunted, and civic-minded, Mrs. Joy Morse immediately turned her attention to the needs of MDI Hospital. Post-fire, the hospital was struggling with the need to modernize and grow, despite financial constraints and a nationwide shortage of nurses. MDI Hospital was having trouble maintaining basic supplies, such as johnny gowns and even bandages. So Marion Joy Morse rallied her acquaintances, most of whom were involved in other ladies’ clubs on the Island. They gathered that October day—just one year after the devastating fire—and agreed to provide assistance to MDI Hospital by volunteering in the wards as needed. They sewed gowns, newborn layettes and bedsheets, and raised funds to support the hospital through trying times.
The Auxiliary was immediately, and consistently, a major success. Because Marion set herself to this task, nearly $1,000,000 has been raised by hundreds of Auxiliary members over the last 70+ years. The list of equipment, furnishings, and other needed items that the MDI Hospital Auxiliary has funded is immense. Stated simply, whatever the hospital has needed, the Auxiliary has been there to provide.
Ten years after the Auxiliary began, the decision was made to fundraise for scholarships to encourage young Islanders as they pursued higher education in medicine and other sciences. Fittingly, these scholarships were named for Marion Joy Morse in 1972, when her daughter, Barbara Joy, generously endowed the program. Barbara, too, was a member of the Auxiliary, and also a member of MDI Hospital’s Board of Trustees.
Marion Joy Morse, Founder and 1st President of the MDI Hospital Auxiliary, Courtesy of Peter Joy
The Marion Joy Morse Scholarship
Marion Joy Morse was the 1st Hospital Auxiliary President in 1948. Marion Joy Morse Scholarships are made possible by a gift in her memory from her daughter, the late Barbara Ellen Joy, through the Barbara E. Joy Trust.
The awards are administered by the MDI Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Committee and awarded to students pursuing medically related fields of study. Students at MDI High School can apply for this scholarship their senior year and should contact their guidance counselor for more information. These scholarships are renewable each year, as long as the student remains in their medical degree field. Information about renewal will be sent out in a letter from the scholarship chair.
Jewelry Committee
An opportunity to support MDI Hospital by purchasing locally sourced jewelry via a number of annual events. All proceeds benefit MDI Hospital.
Barbara Baron Gifford
Jewelry Committee Chair
About the Jewelry Committee...
The Chair and members of the Jewelry Committee support the solicitation of jewelry donations, helps to organize, and clean donated items, and helps schedule and organize volunteers for a number of jewelry sales throughout the year.
Donating Jewelry for Upcoming Jewelry Sales
Jewelry donations are accepted by drop-off to the MDI Hospital Advancement Department, located at 8 Wayman Lane, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609. Donations will need to be logged at the time of drop-off for value purposes.
Baked Goods
Delighting the pallets of both local community members and the visiting population alike, the Baked Goods Committee hosts several annual events around MDI.
Penny Read
Baked Goods Committee Chair
About the Baked Good Committee...
The Chair and members of the Baked Goods Committee help to organize and gather volunteer bakers for the annual bake sales. With annual bake sales in both Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor, many local community members look forward to these tasty events!
Bake for the MDI Hospital Auxiliary
Baked goods are accepted for the annual MDI Hospital Auxiliary bake sales in Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor. The MDI Hospital Auxiliary usually holds two bake sales per year, both in the summer.
Contact Penny Read, Baked Good Committee Chair, with interest in providing baked goods for either or both of these local bake sales.
Ph: 207.288.2232 Email: pbread13@gmail.com
Raffle & Auction
Donate items to any of the Auxiliary led Raffles & Auctions. The MDI Hospital Auxiliary organizes and runs at least one Raffle & Auction every year, held during the MDI Hospital Summer Celebration event in late Summer.
Faith Lawford
Raffle & Auction Committee Chair
About the Raffle & Auction Committee...
The Chair and members of the Raffle & Auction Committee help to organize Auxiliary led raffles and auctions. Raffles and auctions benefit MDI Hospital.
Donate to the MDI Hospital Auxiliary Raffle & Auction
Donations for the Raffle & Auction are accepted!
Contact Faith Lawford, Raffle & Auction Committee Chair, with interest in donating items for future raffle & auction events.
Ph: 207.288.2259 Email: flawford@machiassavings.com
Card Sales
Available at MDI Hospital registration, cards are provided and restocked by members of the MDI Hospital Auxiliary. All proceeds benefit MDI Hospital.
Dee Whitmore
Card Sales Committee Chair
About the Card Sales Committee...
The Chair and members of the Card Sales Committee help to provide the MDI Hospital registration area with locally sourced cards for patients and visitors of MDI Hospital.
Cards at MDI Hospital
Card donations may be accepted.
Contact Dee Whitmore, Card Sales Committee Chair, with interest in providing cards for the MDI Hospital registration area.
Ph: (207)801-1040
Quilting Committee
An opportunity to support MDI Hospital by either working alongside Auxiliary members who practice the art of quilting, or providing these talented members with quilting materials. Quilts benefit MDI Hospital patients.
Jean Young
Quilting Committee Chair
About the Quilting Committee...
The Chair and members of the Quilting Committee support patients of MDI Hospital by utilizing their skills to create beautiful works of art in the form of quilts. These quilts provide comfort and care to MDI Hospital patients, a special community-based touch that few hospitals may have the opportunity to share with patients.
Donating Quilts or Quilting Materials
Quilt or quilting material donations are accepted by drop-off to the MDI Hospital Advancement Department, located at 8 Wayman Lane, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609. Donations will need to be logged at the time of drop-off for value purposes.
Holiday Stars
The Auxiliary’s Holiday Stars Project began in the 1990s to provide our community with a place to remember and honor those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For a small donation, a personalized star is hung in the main hospital lobby during the holidays. Donations help provide Palliative Care at MDI Hospital to those in need.
Mariah Cormier
Holiday Stars Program Representative
About the Holiday Stars Program...
Charlotte Skiff, a dedicated Auxiliary and community member, was instrumental in starting the program. For many years each holiday season, you could find Charlotte hanging stars in the hospital’s reception area. Sadly, Charlotte lost her hard-fought battle with cancer in 2014. Since then, the Auxiliary has continued the Holiday Stars Project in Charlotte’s honor and remembrance of her nurturing spirit.
Cards at MDI Hospital
You may support the Holiday Stars Project by purchasing a star by donation during the months of November and December. Stars will be displayed in the Hospital’s main lobby and reception area. Each star will be personalized with the names of the person being honored or remembered and the person who purchased the star.
The Auxiliary welcomes your support through membership, direct gifts, or by purchasing a Holiday Star. To purchase a star, please fill out and return our Holiday Stars Form. If you do not wish to purchase a star, but would like to make an online donation, please click here to visit our giving page.
For more information on the Holiday Stars Project, please contact Mariah Cormier, Public Affairs Officer, 207.801.8003 or email mariah.cormier@mdihospital.org.
More Information…
Joining the Auxiliary: Dues
$10 Annually
If members fail to pay dues, they will be asked to renew their membership by re-applying and renewing their dues.
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Our Location
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609