Memories of the Auxiliary's First 50 Years (1953-2003)

The Year was 1953
America was moving ahead after the war in Korea. We all "liked Ike." A stenographer could make $280 per month working in San Diego. And on June 10, the first meeting of the Women's Auxiliary to Rady Children's Hospital was called to order by Mrs. Joseph Jessop. The new Board of Directors adopted its first purpose: "to promote the welfare of Rady Children's Hospital by interpretation of the Hospital to the public, through service to the Hospital and its patients, and through fundraising in a manner satisfactory to the Hospital governing Board and in harmony with the planning of the community." It was, to say the least, a very ambitious group of ladies!

The Early Days
Hope Wick (President 1956-1957) traveled to Oakland to meet with the East Bay Children's Auxiliary President. Many East Bay ideas were adopted in San Diego. From those early planning meetings came the Auxiliary Unit format, the Remembrance Fund and the annual Fair.

Unit members began to actively recruit new members. In its first year, membership grew from five to 500!

Auxiliary-wide fundraising projects included the Thrift House, the Hospital Gift Shop, and Wishing Wells. Funds raised for the Hospital surpassed $100,000 during its first 4 years.

Because fundraising was not the only concern of the first Auxiliary Board of Directors, a training program was set up for prospective Hospital volunteers ("aides"). These aides provided support in the Occupational and Physical Therapy clinics, as well as secretarial and public relations assistance.

A favorite project of the early days was making hand puppets from socks. "Sockie" puppets continue to delight patients to this day.

The restless '60s
The decade of the Beatles, Nehru jackets, peace symbols and Woodstock. President Kennedy was assassinated. Vietnam became more than a place on the map. Here in San Diego, you could purchase a dozen eggs for 37 cents. And Carol Craig (President 1960-1961) led Rady Children's Auxiliary into a new decade of even more growth and visibility.

By 1960, the Auxiliary dues had jumped from $1 to $2 and its annual contribution to the Hospital totaled nearly $44,000. There were 890 individuals and 12 organizations in its membership, and some exciting changes took place on campus: the Hospital's maintenance room was converted into a sewing room for the Auxiliary. Auxiliary members continued to provide countless hours of volunteer support to the Hospital throughout the decade.

The '70s
We welcomed home the POWs from Vietnam. Col. Sanders Kentucky-fried 260,000,000 chickens in one year alone. America celebrated its bicentennial. We were watching "Laugh-In," "That Girl," and "The Steve Allen Show" on television.

Golf tournaments became popular Auxiliary fundraisers and Unit events increased in their financial support. Dues increased from $2 to $3, membership reached 1,206 and, for the first time, the total of all Auxiliary contributions surpassed the million-dollar level. The Auxiliary began to designate how its money would be used.

The '80s
American hostages were held in Iran. Terrorists kidnapped Americans in Lebanon. Bo Derek starred in "10." An actor became President. The first American women flew in space.

The Fashion Show, Fantasy of Trees and Kids' NewsDay were added as Auxiliary-wide fundraisers during the '80s, and Auxiliary members provided volunteer support to the new Children's Miracle Network Telethon.

The'90s
The Cold War is over. Milli Vanilli rocked the music world by admitting to lip-synching a Top 10 hit. Hip-huggers and bell bottoms tried to come back. A baby boomer became President. And Auxiliary fundraising tried to keep pace with the ever-increasing needs of the Hospital.

By June 1991, total Auxiliary contributions to the Hospital surpassed $8,000,000. On January 29, 1993 Rady Children's new Patient Care Pavilion was dedicated. The focal point of the building - the Central Interior Courtyard - proudly carried the name of the Auxiliary, in recognition of its $1,000,000 contribution to the Pavilion's building campaign. During this decade, the Auxiliary turned over management of the Thrift House and Gift Shop to the Hospital and said good-bye to the Fair and the Fashion Show. Fantasy of Trees became Fantasy on Ice.

Starting in 1995, individual Auxiliary Units and Auxiliary-wide events were given the opportunity to choose the department or program at the Hospital that would benefit from their fundraising. Along with this change came the introduction of the Mabel Jessop Endowment. Funded by bequests and outright donations, the money generated by this fund every year is included in its annual designation.

During its 45th year, the Auxiliary surpassed for the first time the million-dollar level for one year's contribution to the Hospital: the total, in fact, exceeded $1.5 million. The Auxiliary had given more than $13,605,000 to the Hospital since 1953.

The '00s
A new century, a new millennium, and we're still trying to figure out what to call the first ten years ("the aughts"?). Y2K became a mantra and we all came through in spite of it. The U.S. Supreme Court was drawn into a presidential election. The dot.com rage was slowing down.

On March 15, 2003, nearly 50 years to the day after Mabel Jessop held her first planning meeting, the Auxiliary celebrated its 50th anniversary. As part of this celebration, the Auxiliary decided to support Rady Children's by funding Child Life Services through a Golden Legacy Fund. The goal was to raise an endowment of $500,000. [Editor's note: The Fund far surpassed its goal, raising more than $860,000.]

While the phrasing might have been updated, the Auxiliary's mission has not changed since that first statement of purpose adopted in 1953. The fulfillment of that mission has enriched the lives of countless people, whether they are the patients who need Rady Children's services or the Auxilians who helped to provide them. The Auxiliary continues to be dedicated to ensuring that Rady Children's Hospital will provide the very best medical care for San Diego's children, and carries that commitment into the next half century.

Written by Sharon Guadagnola for the Auxiliary's 50th Anniversary. Excerpted and reprinted with permission of Rady Children's Hospital Auxiliary.