SARASOTA, Fla. (Apr. 21, 2025) – In 1924, a year before the little community hospital that would become Sarasota Memorial Hospital ever saw its first patient, volunteers for the hospital were already hard at work. They called themselves the Sarasota Welfare Association, and they raised more than $40,000 to build Sarasota County’s first modern hospital. And when the doors opened on Nov. 2, 1925, those same dedicated women of the Welfare Association volunteered their time to facilitate treatment of patients who could not afford the care they needed.
In the 100 years since, Sarasota Memorial’s history has been made in these stories of volunteerism and service, as members of the community continually rallied behind their hospital, contributing their time and talents to SMH.
There’s the Women’s Auxiliary, which started in 1947 with only 25 members but ballooned to 385 by 1950. In the decades that followed, volunteers from the Women’s Auxiliary would raise funds for necessary equipment and hospital expansions, and even take on permanent duties in the admissions office, dietary and nursing services, and information desk. The group was all business, according to historical news accounts, describing them as "strictly a work organization which allows no time for social activities."
There was Marian Baylis, who witnessed the 1954 groundbreaking of the new Sarasota Memorial Hospital and joined the Red Cross three months later, working in the emergency room. She would eventually become head of the hospital volunteer corps, where she became known as “The General.” Baylis would later be elected to the board and was instrumental in forming what is now the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation.
There also were the “Gray Ladies,” as the American Red Cross volunteers of the 1950s were known, and the “Special Studies” volunteers—retired men who compiled statistics, surveys, and internal reports. By the 1970s, the volunteer organizations would merge and become known simply as the Hospital Auxiliary. In 1959, the auxiliary also started the hospital's Candy Stripers program for volunteer teens.
In later decades, there was the volunteer fire brigade—strictly a backup—and physician volunteers who cared for those in need at a free clinic SMH opened in 1992. Physicians continue to donate their time at SMH's Community Specialty Clinic, providing free specialty care and procedures to low income, uninsured residents.
All of these stories and more can be found in Sarasota Memorial’s centennial book, A Century of Caring. As SMH celebrates 100 years serving our community, we give a very special thanks to the thousands of volunteers who served this hospital, selflessly and with dedication, time and time again.
“Volunteerism is one of the very cornerstones of the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System,” said SMH CEO David Verinder. “Volunteers helped make the original Sarasota Hospital in 1925 and they continue to make Sarasota Memorial the caring, compassionate, and community-minded health system it is today.”
At a Glance: 2024 Volunteer Stats
- In 2024, Sarasota Memorial had 720 active volunteers.
- Sarasota Memorial’s longest-serving current volunteer joined in 1987.
- Volunteers contributed 120,000 hours of service across more than 80 service areas, including:
- 10,314 blood product deliveries
- 17,490 lab specimen transfers
- 34,788 central supply deliveries
- 1,978 flower deliveries
- 4,040 dietary tray transports
- 18,748 patients, family and staff touched by visits from pet therapy dogs and their handlers.
Learn More
Flip through the electronic version of SMH’s 100-year history book and learn about SMH’s storied history in fun and interactive ways at smh.com/100.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, a behavioral health hospital, a skilled nursing facility and a comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1925, SMH is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025 and encouraging community members to visit smh.com/100 throughout the year for centennial events and updates.