by Merrily Smith
Like most Misericordia parents, I have a deep appreciation for the staff that serves my son, Tyler. I am grateful for their hard work and dedication, and I try not to take that for granted.
Day after day, they are there making sure our guys are safe and well cared for. It is not something we usually think of, but they spend more time with our kids than we do, and because of that, they sometimes pick up on things that we may not notice during home visits or when we visit them on campus. Once such time really stands out to me…
by Judy Wall
Every Christmas, I send a tin of Misericordia brownies to my brother and his family in Atlanta. I address it to one of his kids, my 24-year-old nephew, Price. Price LOVES them, and my card with the brownies always says, "Dear Price, Please distribute these as you see fit." He MIGHT share a few of them with the rest of the family every now and again, but it’s rare. It's become a family tradition/joke.
Price also came to Misericordia a few years ago. He visited his cousin Christy at DT and brought McDonald’s lunch to her room there. During his visit, Price caught the heart of Mis, of the people who care for Christy and her friends, and of the life they have. We look forward to his thank-you notes after Christmas each year. Maybe others will enjoy them, too. Here are a couple of the notes:
by Barb Quaintance
Day Services is a broad term used to describe all the programming that happens on the Misericordia campus, as well as in the surrounding community. This includes work opportunities, volunteering, art, fitness, horticulture and educational classes. Not only is there something for every resident, but there are also many things for every resident!
Within Day Services, there are three divisions:
by Barb Quaintance
Misericordia takes care of the physical needs of its residents, of course. It also offers them day services and recreation and employment opportunities and fun and friendship. But Misericordia also tends to their spiritual and religious needs, a privilege and responsibility joyfully attended to by the Ministry Department: Father Bart Winters (VP of Mission), Andrew Blomquist (Director of Ministry) and Kathy Morris (Ministry Coordinator). Under the overall guidance of Fr. Jack Clair, who began his journey at Misericordia as Chaplain (and who now serves as President), they approach their ministry as one of “presence”, accompanying residents, staff and families alike along their journey of life and faith.
by Sue Hartemayer
On Sunday, October 6, Misericordia CILA residents and their families gathered at the Walsh-Slattery CILA in Lincolnwood for a Good Ole’ Fashioned Picnic! A glorious, autumn day brought 175 residents, parents and assorted staff members together for food, games, music and merriment. Lunch was provided by Chipotle, and no one went home hungry. Games were played on the spacious Walsh-Slattery lawn, while the crowd was entertained by music from Misericordia’s very own resident, "Dj-Hermannator-X". Two television viewing areas inside kept the group apprised of "Da Bears" game, and a good time was had by all!
by Barb Quaintance
Family Fest doesn’t happen by accident. Dozens of Misericordia staff work year-round to produce the event. But they don’t act alone. Literally hundreds of volunteers work on the day of the Fest, as well as beforehand, setting it up and then taking it all down. And a big thanks goes to Paul Schwartz and many others for pulling together the volunteer person-power!
Want to learn more about Family Fest volunteers?
by Barb Quaintance
When you were at Family Fest last weekend, eating a hot dog or enjoying a beer, did you wonder just how much food it takes to feed everyone at Fest? The answer: a lot! Take a look at these numbers:
1,000 pounds of fried chicken
500 half chickens
150 corned beef sandwiches
by Barb Quaintance
We all know remarkable Misericordia staff; staff who are engaging, loving with the residents and leaders within their areas. These remarkable staff want to do even better, learn more, connect with other staff and, generally, make Misericordia an even better place.
Begun in 2021, Fit For Success is a staff development program, led by SD/HR staff Mary Ann Goode, Kristina Lipsey and Saul Hernandez. It not only provides staff with practical skills, it helps connect them to the Misericordia mission and their peers across campus. Open to all staff who have been employed for at least six months and with the approval of their Director, approximately 125 staff have completed the program. About fifteen staff--from DT Instructors to Housekeeping staff to Qs to DSPs—form a class and engage in two tiers of training. The focus of the tiers are:
by Barb Quaintance
If you’ve been in one of our art studios or classrooms, or if you’ve attended The Artist in All, you know that some of the greatest artists in Chicago are Misericordia residents. During August, the campus showcased twenty-six remarkable art installations, all created by residents and their staff partners.
The Art Walk was a campus-wide effort. Twenty-three different groups of residents created these outdoor masterpieces, which were placed throughout campus. The groups were led by DT instructors, CDS instructors, art therapists, recreation/fitness staff, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, McAuley staff and several DSPs. They included mosaics, windchimes, ceramics, sculptures, and other creative, beautiful pieces of art.
by Holly Jennings
If you see a resident all decked in shamrock clothing, you can be sure it is Ryan Jennings. Ryan loves his Irish heritage, and he specifically loves the bagpipes. When Ryan was a young boy before living at Misericordia, we would attend Family Fest every year. When the Shannon Rovers played, Ryan would dash away to find them to hear the beautiful music.
Years later, when he became a resident, I asked one of the Rovers if Ryan could carry the flag at Family Fest. I bought him a kilt online, and he carried the flag proudly. But after this experience, he wanted more! He told me he wanted to march with the Shannon Rovers at the Chicago Saint Patrick’s Day parade. I said, no, that’s probably not possible.
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