Update: Corrected the new name of the Borgess-Lee Volunteers, as well as the dollar amount of the scholarships the organization recently awarded.

DOWAGIAC — When visitors pick up a novel or necklace from the small gift shop located near the entrance of Dowagiac’s Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, they are purchasing something more than a mere souvenir.

They are investing in the future health care of the community.

Members of the Borgess-Lee Volunteers, who run the hospital’s gift shop, recently used the proceeds from the past year to purchase several pieces of equipment for the health care facility, including a new mobile bed (which cost around $3,000) that staff may use to cart patients around the hospital, as well as two new wheelchairs (which cost a combined $1,000) to help people with mobility issues more easily navigate the halls. In addition, the organization funded four $500 scholarships, which were awarded to Borgess-Lee staff members and their family to further their studies in medicine.

The Borgess-Lee Volunteers, which consists of around 25 members, has been making donations to the hospital for years, said group president Terri Moore. The organization pays for things that are not normally covered by the hospital’s budget, through profits from its gift shop, as well as donations from its auctions and bake sales, Moore said.

The latest purchases are the first the group has made since its gift shop reopened last year. It had been closed for nearly a year before, while the entrance of the hospital was being renovated, Moore said.

The gift shop is open five days a week, and sells a variety of items to guests, including books, jewelry and candy bars.

“Since we reopened, things have been going well,” Moore said. “We hope people will continue to support us by purchasing books or candy here.”

Each year, the volunteers reach out to the hospital to see what items they may purchase or which improvements they may help fund, Moore said. In the past, the volunteers have helped pay for everything from new chairs for the hospital’s oncology department to donating to the Lee Memorial Foundation’s Tree of Love campaign, which pays for free mammograms for local women at the hospital.

“It is important for a community our size to have good medical facilities available,” Moore said about why the group volunteers their time to the hospital. “You don’t have to go to South Bend or Kalamazoo. You can get your lab work or operations performed here.”

“We want to give our time to the hospital, because it is a valuable service to our community,” added Ann Biek, secretary of the auxiliary. “I’m very glad it’s here.”

The gift shop is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. People interested in making a donation or in learning more about joining the group are asked to call the organization’s liaison, Beth Cripe, at (269) 783-3026.