 It is safe to say that without the will of volunteers, Madison may have waited many more years before it had a permanent hospital.
One hundred years ago, volunteers such as the Madison Women's Guild and Attic Angel Association were the voices behind a campaign for a public hospital.
It was not an easy campaign. In 1880, Miss Ella Giles, a Madison librarian and celebrated author, addressed a large crowd at the local Fuller Opera House about the need to establish a community hospital. Her contemporaries later joined forces with the new Madison Women's Club.
In the 1890s, the campaign for a hospital gained strength. At the time, there was no place in the city for general health care. Those who had no relatives to care for them were often forced to recover in a hotel room, sometimes even the city jail. The problem grew with the need to house medical equipment, such as the city's x-ray equipment.
Mary Mears Hobbins and Rachel Jastrow played pivotal roles in garnering the City of Madison's support. Their fiery oration in 1902 in front of the Madison City Council convinced that group, once and for all, that Madison deserved a general hospital and the city's assistance was necessary in order for it to succeed. The long debate over who would provide seed funding then turned to a full-fledged campaign. The Attic Angels accepted the challenge and led a door-to-door appeal that raised $16,000.
From there the volunteers settled into day-to-day operations. Volunteers cooked and sewed, held babies, and comforted the families of patients. An influenza outbreak during World War I overwhelmed nursing staffs at both hospitals. Volunteers - again led by Mrs. Jastrow, among others - served as volunteer nurses.
 In later years as medical care improved there was an increased demand for obstetrical services. Without batting an eye, volunteers took up a campaign to build a maternity floor at Madison General. Inside the hospitals, the auxilians ran the gift and coffee shops. Others sewed bandages for surgery.
Today, volunteers continue to function in a variety of support roles. New babies receive caps that volunteers knit by hand. Families in the emergency room and other areas receive comfort and assistance from volunteers. And the Friends of Meriter continues to operate the coffee and gift shop, donating proceeds every year to support Meriter programs and services.
Meriter's volunteers work thousands of hours annually. They, along with the Friends of Meriter, provide a constant source of leadership and energy. For more information on how you can volunteer, please visit the Volunteer Services section of this Web site.
10/1/2007
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