Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – St. Bernards celebrated the grand reopening of its newly renovated and expanded gift shop with a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday.
Located on the ground floor near the hospital’s cafeteria, the gift shop was closed for three months while crews worked to remodel and double the size of the space. It also offers an expanded inventory, which includes various gifts, flowers, clothing, baby care items, and more.
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It is completely run by volunteers from the St. Bernards Auxiliary, a volunteer program, with any money raised after the shop’s operational expenses benefiting patient care through the St. Bernards Foundation. The shop is staffed by 26 volunteers.
The auxiliary was founded in 1966 and has raised more than $4 million for the hospital, which funds equipment, renovations, staff support, and more.
“It’s just a labor of love. The volunteers have worked so hard in order to expand,” said Pat Farmer, manager of St. Bernards’ Volunteer Services. “We’re just excited to have a place that people want to come to.”
During Wednesday’s ceremony, the new priest, Father Aby Abraham, blessed the gift shop and sprinkled holy water throughout to “bring Christ to everything.”
The gift shop is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Saturdays.
“We are thrilled to welcome everyone back to the gift shop,” Jessica Starks, president of the St. Bernards Auxiliary, said during the ceremony. “As we celebrate this grand opening, let us celebrate the spirit of the service that makes the gift shop so much more.”
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