The Volunteer Partners of HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital was established when the Hospital Sisters of Saint Francis (HSHS) celebrated fifty years of service to the Eau Claire community. Sister Superior Calista of Sacred Heart Hospital asked Laurene McIntyre to help organize a group of women to assist and serve on committees. McIntyre became the first chairman during this process, and the group was officially established as a permanent organization, the Sacred Heart Hospital Guild, on December 15, 1939. Initially, the Guild women formed a volunteer committee that met each Thursday to sew for the hospital. Later, other committees were formed, including the Friendship Committee, the Hostess Committee, the Telephone Committee, and the Work Committee. The volunteers cared for patients, families, and communities through their services and dedication. Over the years, they held fundraisers to help patients and their families. Some of their community events included stroke awareness events, Red Cross blood drives, collecting eyeglasses and hearing aids for the needy, and patient get-well cards. On top of the work with patients, they helped the hospital with their work at the information desk, cancer center, gift shop, floral deliveries, fundraising events, etc. Over the years, the organization went through several name changes: The Auxiliary (1963), Partners of Sacred Heart Hospital (1996), Volunteer Partners of Sacred Heart Hospital (1998), and The Volunteer Partners of HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital (2000). The Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) was incorporated in 1978 to support the network of hospitals located in Wisconsin and Illinois, which were originally developed by the Hospital Sisters of Saint Francis. The services of the Volunteer Partners organization ended due to the closing of the HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in 2024.