The John K. and Katherine Johnson Auxiliary was started by a group of Presbyterian women to support the needs of Regional One Health patients and staff.
For 50 years, the Auxiliary has done just that, building a legacy that has had a positive impact on the health of families throughout the Mid-South.
The Auxiliary is celebrating 50 years of service this week with a special event at Idlewild Presbyterian Church and a tour of Regional One Health.
For 50 years, the John K. and Katherine Johnson Auxiliary has served Regional One Health, creating a legacy that includes addressing health problems in our community and supporting the men and women who deliver lifesaving patient care.
Auxiliary members and Regional One Health leaders will celebrate that half century of service this week where it all began, at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis. The celebration will include an opening worship service and lunch, followed by a tour of Regional One Health. The Auxiliary also received recognition in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Rep. Steve Cohen made remarks to celebrate the anniversary, stating, “I want to commend the generations of supporters for their selfless commitment to meeting both the critical needs and the incalculable hopes of patients and their loved ones.”
The idea for the Johnson Auxiliary started with a question: “As a Christian, do I have a role in solving the health problems of women in the community?”
In November 1972, women from the Presbytery of Memphis met to address that question.
After touring what was then the City of Memphis Hospital and finding a facility the community had forgotten, 11 of the women emerged as the driving force behind formation of an Auxiliary to support the hospital. On April 9, 1973, a group gathered at Idlewild Presbyterian Church to sign the charter to officially form the Auxiliary.
They named the organization in memory of Rev. Dr. John K. Johnson, a Chaplain at the hospital and an Associate Pastor of Idlewild, and his wife Katherine. Dr. Johnson died suddenly while helping with the formation of the Auxiliary, and Katherine passed away a week later.
The Johnson Auxiliary’s stated mission is ministering to the needs of patients, assisting staff, promoting community health and welfare, and providing a bond of understanding and service for people of all races and creeds.
Over the years, dedicated Johnson Auxiliary volunteers have helped with a variety of projects, including creation of a chapel, gift shop, and clothes closet at Regional One Health.
In the first year, they recruited over 200 volunteers from all walks of life. Early projects included providing a food cart with free coffee, pastries, and magazines to family members of patients; and volunteering for a pediatric clinic, a Slim and Trim Club, breast self-examination and CPR classes, a teen pregnancy counseling program, and programs for sickle cell patients.
Auxiliary members have also spearheaded and raised money for numerous improvements to the hospital, such as a meditation room in the critical care waiting area, burn rehab beds, equipment for adult special care and the NICU, furniture for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital and the orthopedic clinic waiting rooms, and staff education and training.
One of the Auxiliary’s biggest projects was creating the Alice H. Davies Chapel.
Auxiliary members began requesting space for a chapel in 1973, driven by a conversation with a mother whose son was in the hospital with critical injuries. When Auxiliary members asked how they could help, she replied, “All I want to do is find a quiet place to cry and pray.”
They worked diligently over the years, and the hospital’s first chapel in its 150-year history was opened in 1981. In 1984, it moved to its current location.
The Alice H. Davies Chapel is used for daily ecumenical services as well as by hundreds of people every year who are looking for a quiet place of solace. The Presbyterian Women of the Mid-South (PC-USA) have recently been raising funds to donate to the Johnson Auxiliary to update the chapel so it can continue to provide an essential service at Regional One Health.
Meanwhile, Auxiliary members continue to serve many additional needs at the hospital.
The Mary Love Clothes Closet is one of the Auxiliary’s projects. It provides clothing, hygiene items, and books and magazines for patients and families who come to Regional One Health with only the clothes on their backs.
At the request of the administration, they opened the Johnson Auxiliary Gift Shop in November 1983, with the proceeds going to the hospital. Since then, the Auxiliary has given over $600,000 to various projects at Regional One Health.
Their Mary Love Clothes Closet serves patients and families who arrive suddenly, sometimes traveling many miles with only the clothes on their backs. It provides emergency clothing during their stay and upon discharge, and also distributes hygiene items, magazines and books.
The Jency Mitchell scholarship, named for a former chief nursing officer, supports children of Regional One Health employees who pursue education in medical fields. Auxiliary members help raise money for the scholarships and interview the applicants.
Other projects include blood pressure screenings by inactive and retired registered nurses, and a Last Resort Fund that social workers use to help patients and families with transportation, food, prescription copays, etc. when help from other sources is not available.
Membership and volunteer opportunities with the Auxiliary are open to any high school graduate age 18 and over, regardless of their race, sex, or creed. Applicants must pass a background check and attend an orientation, and members are asked to serve a minimum of 4 hours per shift with at least 8 hours per month.