Aberdeen Health Foundation pays tribute to 130 years of the Aberdeen Hospital Auxiliary

 

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Friday, June 12, 2026, …. As the Aberdeen Health Foundation celebrates its own 40th anniversary this year, the organization would also like to recognize another milestone in local health care: the 130th anniversary of the Aberdeen Hospital Auxiliary. Generations of volunteer service through the Auxiliary have helped shape care at Aberdeen Hospital since before the hospital officially opened its doors.

Long before modern fundraising campaigns and large-scale capital projects, Auxiliary members were organizing bake sales, selling jams and jellies, and finding creative ways to support patients and staff.

Founded in 1896, the Auxiliary is believed to be the oldest hospital auxiliary in Nova Scotia. Early members raised money for the hospital through community events, homemade goods and local fundraising efforts, helping furnish and support the new hospital from its earliest days.

For Anna Svendsen, current president of the Auxiliary, the organization’s legacy feels personal. A former nurse who trained at the Aberdeen Hospital, Anna became involved with the Auxiliary in 2015 after retiring and returning to Pictou County in 2008. “It felt full circle. I knew I wanted to volunteer, and health care was always important to me, so volunteering with the Auxiliary made sense.”

Today, the Auxiliary has 30 members, including several volunteers in their 80s and 90s who actively support fundraising efforts and work in the Aberdeen Hospital gift shop.

“Our funds all go back into patient care,” said Anna. “Sometimes it’s large projects, but more often it’s the little things that make a big difference, like providing personal care items for patients unexpectedly admitted to hospital, helping cover transportation costs for treatments, or purchasing equipment for hospital units.”

The organization helped fund the hospital’s maternity ward after years of advocacy by Auxiliary members. Beginning in 1918, the group repeatedly pushed for the creation of a maternity department at a time when most births still took place at home. After years of public pressure and campaigning, the Aberdeen Hospital’s first maternity department officially opened in 1922.

The Auxiliary also helped fund fire escapes after a major hospital fire in 1921 and supported the hospital’s first dietitian position in the late 1920s, recognizing the growing importance of nutrition in patient care.

More recently, the Auxiliary partnered with the Aberdeen Health Foundation to help fund the Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) suite and supported the introduction of music therapy services at the hospital.

“One of the things we’re most proud of is the music therapist program,” says Anna. “We heard about the idea at a conference and brought it back here. The Auxiliary funded most of the salary for the first three years until government support came on board.”

Today, Auxiliary fundraising efforts include popular “Toonie Treat Carts” filled with homemade baked goods, handcrafted Christmas wreaths, floral arrangements, raffle projects and hospital gift shop fundraisers. Their work also supports initiatives like the Amber Kirwin nursing bursary and Ryan’s Smiles pillowcase project for pediatric patients. In 2025 alone, Auxiliary members donated more than 4,500 volunteer hours toward hospital and community initiatives.

Anna says the Auxiliary’s continued success can be attributed to the way members continue to work together and support each other year after year. “We have a very cohesive group. People have worked together for so long, and everybody just steps in where they’re needed.”

That commitment has carried the organization through generations of change, including World Wars, economic downturns, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as health care and fundraising continue to evolve, the Auxiliary has remained focused on supporting patients, staff and the hospital community.

To mark the milestone, the Auxiliary will host a special anniversary Annual General Meeting on June 22, with local leaders and supporters invited to help celebrate the organization’s 130 years of service. The Auxiliary’s official anniversary date is June 26, and additional celebrations are planned at the hospital that week, including events for staff.

Michelle Ferris, Executive Director at Aberdeen Health Foundation, says she is proud to celebrate this anniversary alongside the Auxiliary. “Today’s members continue a long tradition of service that can be felt throughout the hospital – from the gardens and flower baskets that welcome families, to Martha’s Place Gift Shop and the volunteers who greet visitors every day. Members continue to step forward wherever there is a need, supporting new advancements in care while also helping to provide the small comforts that make a difference for patients and their families. While the Foundation is proud to be celebrating 40 years this year, it’s inspiring to share this milestone year with an organization that has spent 130 years giving back to the community.”

The milestones serve as a reminder that community support for local health care in Pictou County has spanned generations, led by volunteers committed to supporting the hospital and community year after year.

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The Aberdeen Health Foundation is the leading charity for enhancing health care in Pictou County. In 2025, the Foundation invested over $3 million to fund medical equipment and enhance health programs at the Aberdeen Hospital and in the community. Your contribution can be the catalyst for even greater change — find out how you can make an impact here.