AUBURN – St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center recently hosted its annual volunteer recognition dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch for 200 volunteers and other guests.

Those gathered were welcomed by Patrick Williams, director of safety and volunteer services. Marguerite Stapleton, vice president of mission effectiveness, gave a blessing. The volunteers were acknowledged by James Cassidy, president/chief executive officer, St. Mary’s Health System, and Lee Myles, chief executive officer, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.

Volunteer Services Coordinator Kathleen Kuritz organized the event and presided over a traditional candlelighting service in memory of three volunteers who died during the previous year.

Those remembered were the late Gerald Jordan of Buckfield and Auburn residents Adolph “Sonny” Gagnon and Marlene Crawford. Assisting with the candlelighting ceremony were long-standing volunteers Emile Caron, Dorothy Charpentier, Laurianne Cormier, Laurette Doyon and Anita Turgeon, all of Lewiston.

Special tribute was paid to Lewiston resident Marthe Grenier Rivard. Rivard has served as an active volunteer since 1959 and has contributed more than 14,000 hours in St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center’s gift shop. She was one of the original volunteers when the gift shop first opened.

Rivard emigrated to Lewiston from Quebec with her parents and siblings in 1922. She and her late husband, Romeo “Tom” Rivard, raised five children in Lewiston. She was an active member of Les Dames Patroness, a women’s volunteer group at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.

Rivard spoke only French when she began at St. Mary’s. She recalls taking great pride in acquiring English language skills while serving as a volunteer. Rivard is an avid journalist and has kept detailed memories of her personal and volunteer life in a series of journals. She is a long-time parishioner at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Rivard was presented a bouquet of long-stemmed roses and was acknowledged with a standing ovation.

Volunteers in the St. Mary’s Health System are engaged at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center; St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion; St. Mary’s Residence (formerly Maison Marcotte); St. Mary’s Food Pantry; the B Street Health Center; St. Mary’s Adolescent Group Homes; the American Cancer Society’s hospital-based Cancer Resource Center; and in various physician practices throughout Community Clinical Services.

Volunteers from the Grieving Children and Teens Program (affiliated with Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice and funded by the St. Mary’s Foundation) were also present.

Individual volunteers were recognized for their cumulative contributions of hours as follows:

• 14,000 hours: Marthe Grenier Rivard, Lewiston.

• 12,000 hours: Anita Turgeon, Lewiston.

• 6,000 hours: Emile Caron, Lewiston.

• 5,000 hours: Frank Steele, Rumford.

• 4,000 hours: Theresa Latulippe, Lewiston.

• 3,000 hours: Betty Derosier, Sabattus; Gisele Gagnon, Auburn; Leola Gendreau, Lewiston; Donna Palmer, Lewiston; Constance Pleau, Auburn; and Jim Sullivan, Auburn.

• 2,000 hours: Pauline Chasse, Lewiston; Jeannine Laplume, Lisbon Falls; Helene Lepage, Auburn; Mary Minigell, Poland; and Darlene Shores, Sabattus.

• 1,000 hours: Mariette Bernier, Lewiston; Claudette Caron, Lewiston; Beth Convey, Hartford; John Convey, Hartford; Gabrielle Demoras, Lewiston; Suzanne Doyon, Auburn; Irene Gauthier, Lewiston; Ed Grouleau, Auburn; Eileen Hangley, Lewiston; Stephanie Jones-Negron, Minot; John Norman, Turner and Sister Lorraine Pomerleau, Lewiston.

• 500 hours: Janice Baker, Lewliston; Georgette Berube, Lewiston; Cecile Bilodeau, Auburn; Anne Marie Byrne, Auburn; Dorothy Charpentier, Lewiston; Myra Cunningham, Lewiston; Lauriette Doyon, Lewiston; Gerald Lachapelle, Lewiston; Marie Jeanne Laurendeau, Lewiston; Michael McCormick, Mechanic Falls; Tony Michaud, Auburn; Sally Moore, Lewiston; Janice Nutting, Lewiston; Connie Ouellette, Turner; Lorraine Ouellette, Lewiston; Gisele Perreault, Lewison; Florence St. Peter, Lisbon; JoAnne Tiner, Greene; and Ellie Ward, Auburn.

• 100 hours: Sue Adell, Lewiston; Jeanne Beliveau, Lewison; Sister Rita Bourassa, Lewiston; Beverly Bressler, Minot; Buck Buchanan, Auburn; Emma Byrne, Auburn; Marley Byrne, Byrne; Ella Cote, Turner; Aliette Couturier, Lewiston; Myrna Demers, Lewiston; Rita Desjardins, Lewiston; Thomas Doyle, Auburn; Liliane Dozois, Lewiston; Jane Edwards, Lewison; Bonnie Gould, Lewiston; Gene Keene, Minot; Sister Rita Lariviere, Lewiston.

Also, Marie Jeanne Lesperance, Auburn; Sally Manson, Lewiston; Andre Marichal, Lewiston; Nitasha Miller, Lewiston; Venise Moreau, Lewiston; Guy Nadeau, Lewiston; Jackie Nadeau, Lewiston; Diane O’Brien, Minot; Wilfrid Paradis, Lewiston; Pauline Pare, Lewiston; Angie Pellerin, Lewiston; Bettina Robert, Lewiston; Ashley Ross, Minot; Theresa Sirois, Lewiston; Henry St. Pierre, Lewiston; and Judy Whitlock, Lewiston.

The following Bates College student volunteers were also recognized for their support in various departments throughout St. Mary’s Health System:

Douglas Badrigian. Newton, Mass.; John Thomas Berry, Evanston, Ill.; Thomas Burian, Torrington, Wyo.; Hannah Davidoff, Bellevue, Wash.; Harita Dharaneeswaran, Edison, N.J.; Emily Doble, Hingham, Mass.; Kyle Dunmire, Yukon, Okla.; Lizzy Ellman, Evanston, Ill.; Brynn Kernan, Potomac, Md.; Christina Knobel, Walpole, Mass.; Michelle Ladonne, Chicago.

Also, Kristen Meyers, North Andover, Mass.; Jake Nudel, New Haven, Conn.; Sean O’Brien, Plymouth, Mass.; Jorie Ohlson, Conway, N.H.; Lauren Okano, Rock Springs, Wyo.; Kelsey Omstead, Lewiston; Alida Ovrutsky, New York City; Jeff Roeser, Annapolis, Md.; Neil Tarabadkar, Macon, Ga.; Whitney Thomas, Lewiston; Emily Treat, Lewiston; and Demian vonPoelnitz, Rendham, N.J.

Adults age 18 and over who are interested in volunteering at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center may contact the Volunteer Services Department at 777-8368 to request an application form.

Additional information is available online at www.stmarysmaine.com.