Over the course of its history, Gundersen Partners has been able to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to causes both within La Crosse’s Gundersen Health System (now Emplify Health) and outward into the broader community.
It’s thanks in large part to the group’s La Crosse campus gift shop.
“They put so much thought into every penny that they donate because they want to make sure it’s going to the right place,” says gift shop manager Jessica De Ruyter of the Partners, who’ve made the shop into its main source of funding.
History
The gift shop has existed in some form since 1953, when the Lutheran Hospital Auxiliary initiated the “shopping cart,” which delivered small items like candy and magazines to patients’ rooms. The first physical location was established in a small basement room, where it remained until 1964. The shop was relocated around the hospital several times, finally moving into its permanent space in the Legacy Building in 2014.
Profits generated by the sales in the shop make it Partners largest fundraising entity. Just last year, the Partners were able to donate almost $40,000, with most of the money coming from gift shop proceeds. Those dollars went to departments like Emergency Services, Department of Nursing Blanket Drive, Social Services and for requests such as Gundersen Medical Foundation’s Angel Eye cameras and Dental Specialties’ intra-oral scanner.
The Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Ambassadors of Love Program at CRHS, HorseSense for Special Riders and the Hamilton Giving Tree are just a few of the community organizations that’ve benefited from the Partners’ generosity.
In addition, a sizable amount goes into a scholarship fund for children of employees going into the healthcare field. That totals about $12,000 a year.
‘A little bit of everything’
The shop sells a lot of seasonal and holiday items, which De Ruyter, the manager for the past two years, calls its “bread and butter.” In addition, it stocks several baby and children’s items like stuffed animals, which make up a significant portion of its sales. Jewelry and clothing items are also available in addition to the items you’d expect to see in a hospital gift shop, like balloons, cards and flowers, the latter delivered fresh daily from Monet Floral and Gifts. It also has an assortment of snacks and sodas, which are popular with staff.
“We have such a wide variety of people coming in, between staff, visitors and patients, and we try to carry a little bit of everything,” De Ruyter says.
The hospital gift shop’s reputation brings many of its patrons to the shop even when they don’t have healthcare needs. They simply come in because they know they might find the perfect gift.
“One of my favorite things to hear is when people come in and say, ‘I don’t even have to be here today. I came here just because I wanted to shop here,’” De Ruyter says.
Supported by volunteers
De Ruyter is the only full-time staff member at the gift shop, in addition to two part-time staff, but counts on more than 35 volunteers to fill shifts when it’s open. While some of the volunteers belong to Gundersen Partners, one does not need to be a member to volunteer. Current volunteers range from high school and college students to former employees and retirees from the community.
One of them is Sue Bugge, a Partners member who started volunteering after retiring from a career as a school counselor in 2015. She’s never worked a job in retail, so when the opportunity to volunteer in the gift shop was there, she thought it might be fun. She’s never regretted that decision.
“It’s been a great place to work. People are always coming in looking for a gift for someone, and it’s kind of fun, it’s a challenge to find something for them,” Bugge says. “There isn’t a week that goes by that someone doesn’t say, ‘I love this shop. You just have the best gift shop.’”
Although it’s staffed by volunteers, De Ruyter says they don’t treat the job like a volunteer position.
“I’ve worked in retail since I was 18, and I’ve never met a more committed staff than these volunteers,” De Ruyter says.
There’s a good reason for that.
“We believe in community and giving back to the community,” Bugge says. “Gundersen is all about that.”
And in a way, Bugge feels like she can give back to the people she encounters. Being a school counselor, she never knew what would come her way each day. Working at the gift shop, she says, is much the same. You never know who’s going to walk through the door.
“Sometimes it’s people who’ve just lost a family member. Sometimes it’s people who’ve just gotten news that they’re cancer-free or a person who is on their last treatment,” she says.
When asked what she gets out of volunteering at the gift shop, Bugge became emotional.
“Pay back,” she says. “There are good people here. I was a patient here when I had my knees replaced. Unbelievable care.”
If you’re interested in becoming a member of Gundersen Partners and/or volunteering at places like the gift shop, call (608) 775-3602.