Knapp Auxilary

The Knapp Auxilary is an active and committed group of men and women working together to serve the hospital by creating volunteer opportunities, representing and promoting the hospital in the community, and raising funds for patient care equipment and health career scholarships.

Serving Our Community

The Knapp Auxiliary has been serving the hospital for more than 50 years.

• The Auxiliary was formed in 1960, two years before the hospital opened its doors.
• Members raised money to build the hospital and promoted it in the community.
• When the hospital opened in 1962, Auxilians were the first to volunteer.
• Since its founding, the Knapp Auxiliary has donated more than $1,000,000 to fund hospital equipment and services and provide health career scholarships for deserving students.
• Today, more than 250 volunteers work in a variety of hospital departments from the Nursing Service to the Information Desk – from Rehabilitation Services to Nutrition Services.

Diabetes Food Chart Community Outreach Program

The Knapp Auxiliary has won numerous awards for its Diabetes Food Chart Program. The program was developed in partnership with the Knapp Nutrition Services and Public Information department to provide easy-to-understand diabetes educational materials for dieticians to use to help patients make healthy food choices.

• In 1996, the Knapp Auxiliary provided a $10,000 grant to develop Diabetes and Renal Food Charts.
• Food charts being used at that time were inaccurate and not sensitive to the cultural backgrounds and literacy levels of patients being served.
• In collaboration with the hospital’s Public Information and Nutrition Service Departments, along with the Auxiliary President at the time, Bruce Lime, two user-friendly, bilingual, four-color food charts were developed and printed in 1997.
• The full-color charts were and are easy to use and help diabetes patients understand how to make healthy food choices to better manage and control their disease.
• Patients and dieticians responded very favorably.
• In 1997, Knapp dieticians suggested that the charts be sold to area facilities – hospitals, clinics, dialysis centers – and the Auxiliary Community Outreach Project was born.
• Mr. Lime has continued his personal interest in this project and has volunteered hundreds of hours to expand the program’s reach statewide and then throughout the United States.
• Today, our Diabetes Food Charts are sold and used throughout the country and have become a favorite teaching material for patients, dieticians, and diabetes educators.
• To date, some 75,000 Diabetes and Renal Food charts have been sold to dietitians throughout the United States.

Food Chart Program Recognition and Awards

Since first developed, the Knapp Diabetes and Renal Food Charts have been recognized and have garnered state and national awards.

• 1998: Awarded the Past President’s Award from the Texas Association of Hospital Auxiliaries
• 2000: Included in the Excellence in Community Service Award the Knapp Diabetes Center received from the Texas Hospital Association
• 2000: Recipient of the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services Extraordinary Program Award for Community Outreach
• 2010: American Hospital Association recognized Knapp as one of only four hospitals in the entire United States with its coveted Hospital Award for Volunteer Excellence (HAVE Award).

Gift Shop

Another successful project is the Knapp Auxiliary Gift Shop.

• This full-service gift shop has expanded throughout the years to meet the growing needs of our patients, visitors, and employees.
• In addition to our hospital location, we have a convenient Online Gift Shop (link).
• All proceeds from the Gift Shop are used by the Auxiliary to fund projects and programs.

Volunteers

Knapp is always looking for cheerful, service-oriented volunteers. If you’re interested in exploring how you can give of yourself and serve the community at the same time, please give us a call at 956-969-5144.