One of the greatest assets of Wadley Regional Medical Center are the volunteers that make up the Wadley Auxiliary. Our thoughts are that all of the volunteers are heroes, but the group wanted to nominate Ms. Julia Woodring.
For the thousands of people that have been through the doors of Wadley Regional Medical Center over the years, the volunteers of the Wadley Auxiliary has been a true blessing. The volunteers take care of so many responsibilities at the hospital. They staff the Information Desk, Surgery Waiting, and the Cancer Treatment Center. They answer the phones, they distribute the newspapers and coffee in the waiting areas, they deliver the flowers and mail to the patient rooms, they help with the discharge of patients and getting you into your vehicle safely. These volunteers so often go above and beyond in assisting families and loved ones with personal things they may need while staying at the hospital with a patient. The seniors that volunteer with the Wadley Auxiliary also support the Junior Volunteer Program, (I’m not sure if the still wear the candy stripe uniforms), giving teenagers an opportunity to serve and learn in the hospital setting.
One of the major contributions of the Wadley Auxiliary is that they maintain and operate the full-service, customer-friendly Gift Shop, located on the main floor of the medical center. Ms. Julia Woodring has been the gift shop chairperson for most of her 16 years in the Auxiliary, and for her, the Gift Shop is truly a labor of love We spoke to the Wadley Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Mascoe, about “Ms. Julie” being our Hometown Hero for June 2017 and this is what she sent us,
We have so many volunteers that most certainly qualify to be under the heading of ‘hometown hero’, but Ms. Julie is especially deserving of this honor.
If you have ever stepped foot in the Wadley Gift Shop, you have witnessed a piece of Julia Woodring’s heart. Julie, as most call her, has been the gift shop chairperson for most of her 16 years in the Auxiliary. You can find her in there most of the 6 days that it is open. Julie does all of the buying for the gift shop-whether that’s purchasing candy in bulk from Sam’s Club or sitting in buyer’s meetings with wholesalers finding the best Christmas décor in town. She also keeps inventory in check and does the pricing. Employees from the hospital know her by name and in turn, she can pretty well tell you what her regulars are going to buy and what time of day they’ll be coming in the shop.
Julie’s heart for the patients, visitors, and staff of the hospital doesn’t just stop at the gift shop. Julie is also the ‘puppet party’ lady. She hosts a monthly luncheon for the Auxiliary members to make felt hand puppets for the children at the hospital. Ever the avid chef, she always has a new and tasty treat for the ladies to snack on while they craft. It has become a staple event of the Auxiliary and the puppets are a favorite of the children that visit the hospital.
And most would think that their good deed is done after volunteering that much time. But not Julie. Julie also volunteers in our Day Surgery department. She gets there at an early 5:30 am to greet the sometimes anxious patients and their families. Julie helps them sign-in and then escorts them to their rooms. Julie’s effortless kindness and gentleness puts patients at ease and she truly makes a huge difference working in that capacity.
Julie has given over 27,000 hours over her 16 years in the Wadley Auxiliary serving as past-President, Volunteer of the Year, and Gift Shop chairperson. She is truly a treasure and we are so proud to call her ours! She deserves every bit of the honor of being named a Hometown Hero.
Above all of the work they do at the hospital, he Wadley Auxiliary recently raised $1050.00 in their annual Easter Bake Sale and donated all of the proceeds to the American Heart Association.
(L to R) is Gay Embrey, Vivian Taylor, Susan Blankenship, Junene Duke and Sam Evans (American Heart Association)
We are truly proud of the great people in our hometown. There are so many men and women behind the scenes that are changing the lives of individuals with little acts of kindness all over the place that many never see or hear about. Recently one of my former high school teachers was in the news, and so many people were commenting on social media about how he was their favorite teacher, there were more than a few comments that specifically stated, “he influenced me”. Teachers, preachers, volunteers, doctors, judges, neighbors, anyone that may have been a positive influence in your life or the lives of someone you know, these people are hometown heroes and we want to give them the recognition that none of them are seeking, but all of them so deserve. Bad news blasts us from all directions, but every day and almost everywhere, small acts of kindness happen all of the time. People like Ms. Julia Woodring and the volunteers of the Wadley Auxillary are all examples of what each of us can do for someone, and as Ms. Mascoe stated, they all deserve the title of hometown hero. For information to volunteer with the Wadley Auxiliary visit the Wadley Regional Medical Center website. To nominate someone as a TexarkanaFYI Hometown Hero email texarkanafyi@gmail.com and tell us who you think should be added to our list of heroes and why.
As the oldest hospital in Texarkana, Wadley Regional Medical Center has a century-long tradition of providing compassionate, high-quality healthcare. As part of its commitment to provide innovative, quality care, Wadley has pioneered many medical firsts for Texarkana. As the area’s first Joint Commission certified Primary Stroke Center and the first state-designated Level II Primary Stroke Center, Wadley is the area’s leader in stroke care. Wadley was also the region’s first dual designated Level III Advanced Trauma Center by both the State of Texas and Arkansas. Wadley proudly brought robotic surgery to the area with the first da Vinci Si Surgical System as well as many firsts in equipment and services in the Wadley Breast Health Center for diagnosing breast cancer. As a leader in providing progressive healthcare services to our community, it is with great pride that Wadley recognizes all of the local heroes in our community and let them know they are appreciated and respected as our Texarkana Hometown Heroes.
