Feb 17, 2015 3 min read

MONONGAHELA – For the past several months, staff and visitors to the Spartan Health Surgicenter have been generously thinking of others more so than usual, donating both their time and money for various causes.

Each month, the staff has adopted a charity, whether locally or nationally, and in one instance, they pooled their resources to help a 13-year-old Monongahela girl, Alicia Hruby, who needs a liver transplant.

“It’s been well-received,” said Marna Hughes, housekeeping supervisor at Mon Valley Care Center, a skilled nursing and assisted living facility next to the surgicenter on Stoops Drive.

It was Hughes’ idea to hold a monthly fundraiser, and with the blessing of Patrick Garman, administrator at Spartan Health, she enlisted the help of staff to help make each fundraiser a success.

For instance, Lucille Senko, who works in environmental services at the care center, is very crafty, so she makes items that are sold in the lobby of the surgicenter. In addition, she volunteers to man the tables on her days off, and she’s in charge of setup and removal, too. Patty Lorenzo, concierge at Spartan Health, also is happy to usher visitors to the tables and help them “shop.”

Others have donated items to sell as well, and Amy Ditta, who operates the Spartan Café, has held holiday basket raffles to sweeten the pot. In February, for example, she raffled a basket of chocolates in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Money raised in February will be donated to the American Heart Association. All those who donated also have been invited to write their names – or the names of a loved one – on a red heart that is then placed on the tree in the foyer.

To coincide with the February charity, Ditta also featured a heart-healthy week of breakfasts, lunches and snacks at the café.

“The girls really do all the work,” Hughes said. “Everybody is asking the girls about it. They’re getting something, and they’re doing something for somebody else.”

The fundraisers have netted $200 for Make-A-Wish; $182 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and $220 for Alicia Hruby, whose fundraiser was held in collaboration with the heart association.

“We set a goal,” Hughes said. “To be honest, when we did the fundraiser for Alicia, I would have been happy with $10.”

But Art Pletchy, a vendor at Main Street Antiques in Monongahela, helped push them over the top with a generous donation, and he donated an antique mailbox to safely store the money as well. Those who donated at least $1 also signed a card for Alicia.

“It is a win-win for everyone,” Hughes said.

The charity of choice in March may be Easter Seals.

“We have very active employees, and everybody who comes through the doors has a story,” Hughes said. “By doing this, they can close the book on their story and take their mind off things for a while.”