Volunteers from the Denton Unit of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary were recognized for their many years of service and fundraising efforts at the Auxiliary’s luncheon held on November 3 at the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford.

The Denton Unit of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary was founded in August, 1947 as an outlet for charitable service to the hospital by ladies – and later, gentlemen—who lived a distance from the Easton-based hospital. Even though the Denton Unit’s primary focus was raising funds in Caroline County for the hospital, many of the Unit’s members were also active volunteers for hospital based services such as the Nightingale Gift Shop and Snack Bar, the Commission Shop (now The Bazaar at 121 Federal Street) and other projects.

The members of the Denton Unit of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary earned a reputation for their fundraising acumen. In its 62 years of vibrant support, the Denton Unit contributed nearly $500,000 to the Central Unit and to Memorial Hospital. Over the years, the Denton volunteers sponsored attic sales, jewelry and uniform sales, quilt raffles and the annual raffle of an exquisitely made replica doll house. The fundraisers supported nursing scholarships and funded equipment, programs and services Shore Health System offers across the Mid-Shore region.

Two annual events sponsored by the Denton Unit became the gold standards for Caroline and Talbot Counties’ social activities. The Annual Harvest Ball was attended by the region’s most notable residents, who, dressed in formal attire, danced the night away, raising thousands of dollars for Memorial Hospital. The Denton Unit’s renowned Silver Teas and Coffees, which were held at the lovely homes of Caroline and Talbot County citizens, were attended by hundreds each year.

At its peak, in the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, the Denton unit consisted of as many as 70 active and sustaining members. The Unit’s members contributed a total of 230,000 hours of volunteer service to the hospital. The Denton Unit has merged with the Central Unit of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. All of the active members will continue to serve as volunteers and financial supporters.