SALEM – The Merry Mixers have once again brought a lot of cheer to Salem Hospital – raising a record-breaking $93,000 during their 2022-2023 campaign.

The nonprofit organization of roughly 20 volunteer women has been raising money for pediatric care at Salem Hospital since 1950.

“The Merry Mixers have been a 73-year blessing to Salem Hospital and we are so grateful for their continued support and advocacy for our pediatric programs,” President and Chief Operating Officer Roxanne Ruppel said. “Their work has a real impact on our patients and our community.”

Funds raised in this year’s campaign will be allocated to pediatrics services, including psychiatry, the family resource center, special care nursery, and the Birthplace to purchase equipment, upgrade technology, renovate facilities, and sustain and expand vital programs and professional training.

“The Merry Mixers, past and present, feel extremely privileged to support our local hospital,” Co-Chair Maggie Kanter said. “Seeing the direct impact that our fundraising has had in various departments inspires us to continue to surpass what we raise each year. We are incredibly grateful to our community for helping us raise these funds, and we look forward to our efforts in the year ahead.”

Over the past year, donated funds will be used to purchase breast pumps, hospital-grade refrigeration, ophthalmoscopes, and a NeoView neonatal intubation system for the special care nursery and Birthplace.

In the coming months, upgrades to the pediatric emergency department will start in all treatment bays with the installation of vibrant LED ceiling panels in addition to a LED fish tank in the waiting area.  Additionally, individual sound systems will be installed in all inpatient rooms on the pediatric/adolescent floor in the Epstein Center for Behavioral Health.

Donations were also used for family resource center programming, clinical training courses for providers, and electronic tablets to help patients keep up with schoolwork while they are hospitalized on the pediatric psychiatry unit.

Funds are raised through an annual gala, 50/50 raffle at the Marblehead tree lighting ceremony, and other fundraisers.