Thanks to the SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Auxiliary’s 2025 Lights of Love fundraiser, patients and visitors now have automated access to the hospital’s front west door entrance. The total project cost was roughly $6,100.

“We appreciate the community’s support to help the hospital add this new feature for the patients and families they serve,” according to Julie Stellmacher, SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Auxiliary president. “This automated door will greatly improve accessibility for patients and visitors with mobility challenges. This enhancement will allow volunteers to remotely open the door – mirroring the existing automation on the east side entrance – to better assist individuals using wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, or crutches.”

The SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Auxiliary’s Lights of Love program recently completed its 38th annual year – a cherished holiday tradition that offers community members the opportunity to honor or remember loved ones while supporting a meaningful enhancement to patient care.

“This recommendation came from one of our volunteers who saw firsthand the benefits of a second automated door at our hospital’s main entrance,” says DeAnn Thurmer, SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital president. “We are so fortunate to have a caring team who are always looking for ways to enhance their experience with us. We are deeply grateful to the Ripon Community Hospital Auxiliary and everyone who contributed to the Lights of Love fundraiser for making this meaningful enhancement possible.”

The SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Auxiliary collaborates with the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation on projects like this.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Auxiliary and/or a hospital volunteer, contact Volunteer Services at 920-926-4955.

Thanks to proceeds from the SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital’s Light of Love, the hospital recently automated a second door at its main entrance. Auxiliary members recently visited the newly automated west door, including (left to right) Barb Behlen, Jeanne Payton, Georgia Stellmacher, Sue Leonard, Julie Stellmacher, and Mary Park.