Our Mission
Our mission is to enrich the Central Texas community by providing support to patients and by funding scholarships for future healthcare professionals.
Profits from Atrium Gift Shop provide funds to allow us to meet the needs of our mission. The Atrium Gift Shop is located in the lobby of St. David's Hospital in Austin, TX where dozens of volunteers help drive an impact.
Pictured: Anna Callahan, former Volunteer/ Board Member
A4CH members and staff with CMO Dr. Garza celebrating recent scholarship winners
2025 Board of Directors
Our board is made up of longtime volunteers and community members of all ages, races and occupations.
President/Treasurer
Andrew Dornon
Secretary
Monique Noel
Gift Shop Chair/Board Member
Michelle Slate Jones
Board Member
Leslie Clemmons
Board Member
Russell Williamson
Volunteer Manager
Chee Thao
Student Advisory Committee Liaison
Padma Jaghannaathan; Mahnoor Wajid
Staff
Nonprofit Executive Director
Mark Turk
Gift Shop Manager
John Moss
GS Asst. Manager
Carole Meckes
Our History: From Auxiliary to Ambassadors
A Legacy of Service at St. David’s Medical Center
From its inception in 1955 to the present day, the volunteer organization now known as the Ambassadors for Community Health (A4CH) has embodied the spirit of compassion, dedication, and service that defines St. David’s Medical Center. What began as a small group of women gathered in a basement has evolved into a thriving organization with a lasting impact on Austin’s healthcare community.
Our Beginnings
In the spring of 1955, St. David’s Hospital had outgrown its facilities at 17th and Rio Grande and was preparing to move to its new location at 919 East 32nd Street. The president of the hospital’s Board of Trustees, Hulen Black, asked board member John Barclay to organize a meeting with eleven women at the nurses’ home on March 3, 1955, to form a volunteer auxiliary that would provide vital support to the new hospital.
At that meeting, the group established its purpose: to create a volunteer service that would support the hospital and promote charitable and scholarship programs. Mrs. Frank Davol served as temporary chair, and Mrs. James C. Dolley was elected as the first president. The inaugural executive committee also included Mrs. Walter E. Seaholm (Vice President), Mrs. Truman Morris (Secretary), and Mrs. Frank Erwin, Jr. (Treasurer).
Joining them were Mrs. R.A. Cooper (Volunteer Coordinator) and an impressive slate of committee chairs, including Mrs. Robert Hatchett and Mrs. Charles Harwicke (Cupboard), Mrs. Summerfield Taylor and Mrs. Frank Robinson (Information Desk), Mrs. Harry Akin (Publicity), Mrs. Jack Fryer and Mrs. Meade Griffin (Library), Mrs. T.J. Archer and Mrs. Barney Farmer (Membership), and Mrs. H.F. Voss (Uniforms).
By the end of their first year, 281 volunteers—then called Auxilians—had served more than 17,000 hours, assisting with admissions, delivering flowers and mail, and helping wherever they were needed.
The Early Years and “The Robins”
That first meeting in 1955 marked the start of a remarkable legacy. The Auxiliary quickly grew, holding regular meetings, forming nine committees, and establishing annual membership dues of $5—or $100 for a lifetime membership. They opened The Cupboard, a small gift shop that served coffee in china cups for a nickel, a tradition still honored today.
Auxiliary volunteers became an integral part of hospital life. They staffed the information desk, rolled the “goodie cart” of snacks and magazines through the halls, assisted the chaplain, managed waiting rooms, delivered mail and flowers, and even sold baby photos through the “Cradle Roll” program. Their annual Palm Sunday bake sales funded the purchase of hospital equipment through the Memorial Fund.
In the 1970s, a patient fondly remarked that the volunteers looked like “robins” in their pink pinafores—a nickname that stuck. Known ever since as The Robins, the volunteers’ cheerful presence became a beloved symbol of comfort and care at St. David’s. One Robin was even buried in her uniform, a testament to the deep devotion so many felt for their service.
By the 1980s, the Robins numbered more than 500 volunteers, as noted by the Austin American-Statesman. The group expanded to include men in the late 1980s and was renamed the St. David’s Medical Center Healthcare Volunteers.
Growth and Transformation
The Auxiliary’s focus has always been service, but the nature of that service has evolved over the decades. In the early years, funds raised by volunteers purchased equipment such as a hospital tube system, hyperbaric chamber, furnishings for labor and delivery rooms, and improvements to Barclay Park—including the installation of the Mother and Child sculpture by Charles Umlauf.
In 1996, a major shift occurred when Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) entered into a joint venture with St. David’s Medical Center, and the St. David’s Foundation was established. From that point forward, the Auxiliary’s fundraising priorities transitioned from hospital equipment to scholarships and educational support for future healthcare professionals.
Even as roles and operations modernized, the volunteers’ mission stayed the same: to serve the hospital and, through it, the community. The Cupboard grew into a professionally managed shop with a full-time manager, and the Volunteer Services Department gained paid staff, including a director.
Becoming the Ambassadors for Community Health (A4CH)
In 2017, the organization officially adopted the name Ambassadors for Community Health (A4CH), reflecting its broader mission beyond traditional hospital volunteering. While not all hospital volunteers are A4CH members today, the organization continues to provide vital support to St. David’s Volunteer Services, patients, and the greater Austin community.
A4CH members serve in a variety of hospital departments—ranging from the Gift Shop and Information Desk to Surgery Waiting, Newborn Nursery, ICU, Rehabilitation, Emergency, the Breast Center, and the Bariatric Center. The group’s structure has evolved as well: membership is now optional, an Executive Director leads daily operations, and the Board of Directors meets bi-monthly to guide its mission.
A Lasting Spirit of Service
Despite changes in name, structure, and scope, the heart of the Auxiliary remains unchanged.
As former president Violet “Bitsy” Rider wrote in 1990:
“Association with other volunteers is enjoyable. Lasting friendships are made. Joy is found in helping patients and relatives make their hospital stay less stressful. While volunteers give many hours of time to the hospital, they receive individual satisfaction and rewards.”
Today, there are about 400 active volunteers at St. David’s—125 traditional members and the rest students—each contributing their time, compassion, and skill to uphold a 70-year tradition of caring.
As volunteer Carolyn Bartlett, who joined in 2001, explains:
“If anything, there’s more of a concerted effort now among volunteers to connect with the hospital. They’ve worked to align themselves even more closely with the hospital’s goals.”
From the Ladies Auxiliary to the Robins to today’s Ambassadors for Community Health, this enduring organization continues to reflect the best of Austin—neighbors helping neighbors, united by a shared belief that service to others is service to all.
sources: St. David's: 90 years and Counting, A4CH archives.