Thanks to an outpouring of support from the community, this year’s Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s annual mum sale broke all recent records, with more than 180 plants sold and $1000 in net profit. All proceeds will support projects at the hospital and The Homestead.
New this year, the Auxiliary offered a special opportunity to remember loved ones with the purchase of a Memorial Mum. These plants were delivered to and will be cared for, throughout the fall, at Lakeview and St. Michael’s Cemetery in Penn Yan. The caretaking will be done by Susan Eisenhart, a new member of the Auxiliary and Director of the Finger Lakes Health Foundation Board. Susan is the daughter of the late Sylvia Eisenhart, who was a longtime S & S Auxiliary President and she conceived of the idea to honor her mom’s legacy of service.
Tricia Nash Gomer grew up in Penn Yan and now lives out of town. She purchased a Memorial Mum and reached out to Susan writing, “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to have a mum on our family grave in Lakeview Cemetery this fall. The hospital auxiliary’s fall mum sale is a unique fundraiser and this year it was especially thoughtful of you to offer to place and tend mums for those of us who live out of town. I thank you sincerely for your offer and for the picture you sent of the beautiful yellow mum at the Nash family grave. I hope the auxiliary was successful in their fundraising efforts.”
Helen Kelley, Director of Development for the Finger Lakes Health Foundation echoes Tricia’s sentiments saying, “We are so grateful to our dedicated Auxilians and to the community for their continued support of these long-standing fundraisers. COVID has presented significant challenges around conducting some of these traditional events, but the group has brought creativity and a can-do attitude to make them happen. The funds raised from these efforts have a real impact on our ability to provide high quality health care, close to home, for all in our area who need it.”
