ROCHELLE – The Rochelle Community Hospital Auxiliary and Culver’s of Rochelle are hosting the third annual share night Wednesday, July 17 from 5 to 8 p.m.
The RCH Auxiliary was founded in 1946 and was dedicated to the service and comfort of patients and the hospital. Every year the hospital gives the auxiliary a wishlist of items it would like to have for the hospital. Members from the auxiliary then meet and determine which items from the list to purchase for the hospital.
“Over the years, the auxiliary has raised many thousands of dollars to purchase furniture for patient rooms and to buy highly technical medical equipment,” explained Diane Kenney, president of the auxiliary.
Not only does the auxiliary help the hospital with purchasing furniture and medical equipment, but it raises money throughout the year, including share night, that will be used toward scholarships. On average, the RCHA gives out five scholarships each year and any student who is pursing an education in the medical field is eligible.

“Fundraisers last year include the annual garage sale, the Culver’s share night, the Holiday Bazaar Bake Sale, the annual Holiday Bazaar, and the annual Holiday Raffle. With those five events, the Rochelle Community Auxiliary was able to raise money for seven scholarships,” Kenney added.
At the share night event costumers will be greeted at the door by a RCHA member handing out a flyer explaining the event. Ten percent of all the proceeds earned through orders will be donated to the auxiliary and used for future scholarships. Donation jars will also be on the counter. RCHA members are hoping to surpass last year’s amount of $375.
The idea for the event stemmed from the RCHA looking for a quick, easy and fun way to raise money.
“Once Culver’s came to town and started hosting these share nights they knew it would be a great way to raise money. Other groups were doing them and then we thought, hey what about us. This is fun and something we can all do, one way or another we can all participate,” Kenney said.
While the RCHA and its fundraisers benefit the hospital in many ways, they also benefit the community too. Whether it is helping community members meet new people, learn new skills or the scholarships that help students advance their education, the RCHA helps whenever it can.
“Scholarship-wise, we had one student who did become a doctor and we have several good candidates from nearby schools that have received scholarships including Rochelle Township High School, Ashton-Franklin Center High School and Oregon High School,” said Kenney.
Hosting this event each year is a great way to support the local hospital, local students hoping to further their education in the medical field and enjoy some good food. The RCHA and its members say that working with Culver’s has been a very enjoyable experience.
“We are really happy to work with them, they are a really top-notch group that has been nothing but helpful since day one,” expressed Kenney.