Happy 130 anniversary to our Caring, Serving and Giving Winona Health Volunteers!

From helping people with directions and creating a welcoming atmosphere to raising funds for meaningful projects for patients and residents, there are many reasons our volunteers find it so rewarding.

• We’re helping others and having fun along the way!
• Giving back to our community while also developing beautiful friendships.
• I worked here for many years, I retired and missed the people. Returning to volunteer, I’ve made even stronger connections than I have in a long time.
• I’m retired and I just want to give back in whatever way I can.
• There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of making somebody’s day better.

We are grateful for the unique talents and contributions each of our volunteers bring to our organization! We are all caregivers.

Helping others is gratifying “I am fortunate to be a volunteer at Winona Health. To be able to help people find a department, a loved one, the ER, or to answer a question and help put a mind at ease is why I show up on Monday morning. Being able to work with the best people; hospital staff, other volunteers, and those who I can help is very gratifying.”

Sandy Krueger Winona Health Volunteer since 2005

It’s a good feeling “My adventure of volunteering at Winona Health started when my wife, Irene, retired and started volunteering. She asked me if I would like to help set up for Holiday Happiness. I said, ‘yes,’ and the rest is history. I’ve watered plants, and I’ve put things together and repaired things for the gift shop. Now I help with the courier service, which I also enjoy. For everything I do, I always hear a ‘thank you for volunteering.’ It is a good feeling to be appreciated. Being a Winona Health Volunteer is like being part of a big happy family.”

AL Mulyck, President, Winona Health Volunteer Board of Directors Winona Health Volunteer since 2014

It gave me a purpose After retiring and relocating to Winona, I discovered a wide variety of volunteer opportunities at Winona Health. Volunteering gave me a purpose and provided me with a feeling of accomplishment. It made me feel like a contributing community member and gave me a sense of being needed and helping others. I’ve also felt respected and very much appreciated — by staff as well as patients. Volunteering here has given me the opportunity to gain new skills and to continue to hone existing skills. Maybe best of all, it brings more fun into my life, boosts my self-esteem, and provides me with an avenue to meet new friends.

Rebecca Valentine Winona Health Volunteer since 2019

Consider joining us? winonahealth.org/about-us/volunteers/

Caring. Serving. Giving: How it all began Winona Health’s story began more than a century ago with neighbors coming together to take care of one another regardless of circumstance. Established on February 28, 1894, Winona Health is now celebrating 130 years of community-focused care.

For all 130 of those years, volunteers have been vital to Winona Health, and their dedication and generosity are appreciated by patients, visitors and staff.

Just after the Winona General Hospital (now Winona Health) was established, Dr. D.B. Pritchard, one of the hospital’s organizers, had the idea to encourage women (today, all genders are welcome) to come together to “assist in furnishing the new hospital and ensure its usefulness, comfort and home-likeness.”

On March 26, 1894, about 50 women gathered at the home of Mrs. Hannibal Choate, Sr., to discuss forming an organization dedicated to volunteer service for the new hospital. By the end of their second meeting, the ladies had formed the Auxiliary and passed a set of by-laws. They immediately began making new bed linens and forming committees, including one to ensure weekly fresh flowers for the hospital. Within the year, the Auxiliary grew to 144 members.

On February 29, 2016, leap day, the Auxiliary took a leap into the future. They celebrated their history, announced their new name and unveiled a new look. Their official name became the Winona Health Volunteers and they retired their pink smocks and adopted a blue vest.

Since 1910, as far back as the records were accessible, the volunteers’ fundraising activities have generated more than $2.5 million dollars for Winona Health programs and equipment.

If you’re looking an experience rich in history and meaning, become a Winona Health Volunteer. To learn more, please contact Kris Walters at 507.457.4342 or krwalters@winonahealth.org.