Elly Crow Award Winners Named
The TWIG (Together With Important Goals) groups of Hocking Valley Community Hospital Auxiliary recently presented the hospital with $20,750 from fundraising efforts over the past year.
During an annual dinner and recognition ceremony for the TWIG groups, TWIG II presented a check for $8,500, TWIG IV presented a check for $9,000 and a TWIG VI presented a check for $3,250. These funds are raised throughout the year from individual TWIG projects such as flower sales, raffles, bake sales and auctions. Funds are then used to support HVCH with hospital renovations or capital purchases when requested.
“We are so thankful and appreciative of all the fundraising efforts the individual TWIG groups make throughout the year. A lot of thought and commitment goes into assisting the hospital in this way,” Gabriel said.
Since 1960, the Auxiliary has raised more than $1.5 million for HVCH. The funds raised last year will be used to help support the new mammography unit project, expected to take place in fall of 2026. Recent areas of support include patient monitors for the surgery department, salad bar for the cafeteria, SIM mannequin for education, and remodel of hospital lobby and registration areas.
2026 Auxiliary officers were installed during the dinner, including: Ginger Johnson, President; and Betty Jo Downs, Vice President.
To close the evening’s celebration, CEO Stacey Gabriel presented the Elly Crow Award. The award is given to a HVCH Auxiliary TWIG member every year and is named after Elly Crow, a TWIG II member for over 45 years who donated more than 25,883 hours of her time to the hospital, patients and community. Elly also was instrumental in creating many special events and raising thousands of dollars for the hospital.
There were two deserving recipients selected this year, Jodi Mustard and Lisa Pickrell.Jodi has been a member of TWIG II for more than 20 years and held office in the group for more than a decade. She helps with all the group’s fundraisers including auctions, flower sales, and cookie and candy sales.
“Jodi makes giving back to the hospital a generational effort, serving in the TWIG with both her mother and her daughter. She not only donates a lot of her free time to fundraising for the hospital but serves as an administrative assistant at Chieftain Elementary. She assists with activities and fundraisers for the school and has a huge fan base of students who will often say hi when they see her out of the school setting. She has a big heart and enjoys volunteering and helping the community through raising funds for the hospital,” Gabriel said.
Lisa has been a member of TWIG VI since 2016. She has held office in the group as co-president. She is involved in all of the TWIG’s fundraisers and used her creativity to think of new ways for the group to help raise funds to support the hospital.
“Lisa has lent her kitchen on numerous occasions to the baking and decorating of many cookies to sell to hospital staff and help collect and set up items for auctions. She strives to make the community a better place. She served as a case manager for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio for many years and is very active with in service to her church, First Presbyterian. She has been married for more than 43 years and has two children and grandchildren. She seizes any chance she gets to help support the hospital,” Gabriel said.