By Wayne Clark
The Valley Times-News

WEST POINT — The Alabama-Georgia Hospital Auxiliary has been an important source of help for Lanier Memorial, and now EAMC-Lanier, Hospital over the years.

Funds generated from the profits from its hospital gift shop, the Tree of Lights program during the Christmas season and its spring fashion show have allowed for the purchase of needed equipment over the years.

During the noon hour on Tuesday, this year’s  “Spring is in the Air” fashion show was held at West Point Depot. A capacity crowd was on hand to see some beautiful attire on display, courtesy of Dlllard’s in Auburn. The attendees enjoyed a meal prepared by Ed Yeargan.

“I can’t begin tell you how much your support means to us,” Hospital Auxiliary President Bess Pittman told the guests. “We’ve been sponsoring this fashion show for many years and raising money for the hospital. Last year, Elsie Johnson and Nan Schuessler, the two women who started the fashion show many years ago, talked about some of the items they had helped to purchase.”

In the last year alone, money raised by the Auxiliary has helped in the purchase of a retina scanner doctors have used to detect early eye damage in diabetic patients and a portable ultrasound machine and a special mattress that allows for its use at a patient’s bedside.

Money raised by the Auxiliary has allowed for the purchase of new dining room chairs for the nursing home. “There’s also two state-of-the-art wheelchairs that have been purchased,” Pittman said. “None of this would have been possible without your very generous support. I want to thank the Auxiliary Board for their hard work this past year, and of course, I want to thank our leader, Wiky Gladden, who keeps us on track and makes all of our projects successful.

“We live in a good village,” Gladden responded in an appreciative way to those comments. “It’s people like you all here that help make this a wonderful community to live in.”

Christy Lattimore of Dillard’s was the emcee for the day. She was assisted by Ukraine native Anna Wierzbicki.

Children as young as three years of age joined a host of well-known women and young ladies in the local area as models for the day. A good many hospital employees displayed the leading fashions of the day designed by such famed brands as Antonio Miliani.

EAMC-Lanier Emergency Room Director Ryan Earnest and Springwood student Harrison Spivey, modeled the male fashions.