Photos courtesy of Piedmont Augusta Volunteer Board

The longstanding distinction of Piedmont Augusta’s Volunteer Board.

In 2021, Pam Weinberger was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. As part of her treatment process, she visited Magnolia’s Boutique, inside what was then known as University Hospital, to be fitted with a prosthesis. 

It was an incredibly positive experience and exactly what she needed at the time. Weinberger couldn’t have known it then, but today she gets to experience that positivity every day — plus the impact of the many other businesses run by Piedmont Augusta’s Volunteer Board — as the hospital’s volunteer services manager.

Weinberger, who was the former director of development for Augusta Preparatory Day School, says with a laugh that she is more “used to asking for money.” In her new role, which she took over in January from longtime manager Caroline Thomas, she works closely with Piedmont Augusta’s Volunteer Board to give money back.

Launched in 1949, the volunteer board is a 501c3 in the hospital that donates profits from its businesses back into patient care. It’s a unique model: Most hospitals don’t have volunteer boards — just volunteers. However, the boards that do exist tend to raise money solely by running special events. But eight months after its inception, the Women’s Board, as it was then known, banded together to fundraise for University Hospital by opening a snack bar, with many of the items made at home and brought to the shop. That snack bar would later become the hospital’s food court. 

Over the years, the board has also opened a hair salon, offered professional baby photos for new parents, and held special events, like BBQ fundraisers at Julian Smith Casino. Today, along with Magnolia’s Boutique, the volunteer board runs the Sunshine Gift Shop, The Uniform Shop and manages all vending on Piedmont Augusta’s campus. 

For the full article, find a copy of our November/December 2024 issue on stands.

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