New President for St. Joseph’s Health Auxiliary

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (June 12, 2019) – The Auxiliary of St. Joseph’s Health officially announced the appointment of Hanni L Kmetz as the new Board President during its annual luncheon on May 14, 2019.

Mrs.Kmetz is the General Manager of Mele & Co, located in Utica, NY. She has been a St. Joseph’s Health Auxiliary board member for 10 years and is Chair of the Auxiliary’s Wine and Craft Brew fundraiser and the Annual Meeting and Luncheon events. She replaces immediate past president Colleen Prossner, who is the Executive Director for the Catherine Cummings Theater at Cazenovia College.

Also during the luncheon, and as Spring’s last official order of business as president, the Auxiliary presented to the Hospital Foundation a gift of $90,000. The gift was allocated to the Colleague Emergency Fund, a newly created endowment also known as the Living Mission Fund. This program was established to make funds available for regular full-time, part-time, and per diem colleagues who face a financial hardship. The funds for this gift were generated from the services that the Auxiliary offers and manages throughout the hospital, including the Coffee Shop, Gift Shop, vending machines, baby photos, and annual Wine Tasting event in the fall.

The Auxiliary of St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center is an organization of approximately 600 men and women dedicated to serving the needs of St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. Dating all the way back to the establishment of the hospital, the group currently has more than 30 committees and service projects and is directed by a volunteer board. The Auxiliary has introduced many services to St. Joseph's over the years including the coffee bar, shopping cart, the gift shop, baby photo service, television/telephone rental, and vending machines. The Auxiliary works closely with the hospital's Volunteer Office, and many Auxiliary members serve as hospital volunteers. For more information, visit www.sjhsyr.org/auxiliary.