The Importance of Arranging A Misericordia Tour
by Cynthia Maroon
A message from Fr. Jack is always a welcome email, and his most recent one ended with his plea to “please continue to reach out to your Illinois senators/representatives to invite them for a tour”. This was a personal reminder that I had promised to author an article for Mis Biz about the various types of tours and the importance of families arranging them.
Misericordia has now been my son’s “home away from home” for over 41 years, and during that time I have been able to arrange numerous tours. Each time I have personally learned something new and seen exciting changes and improvements at Misericordia. I can’t recommend them enough! Each one is different, depending on the tour leader and the tour group. We are blessed to have so many amazing tour leaders who are all skilled at giving a tour designed to focus on the interests of each touring group. They work closely together, and they decide which leader will be best suited to give each tour.
Fr. Jack (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Kevin Connelly (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) both give tours to legislative members and elected officials. I brought Emanuel “Chris” Welch for a tour the year after his 2013 election as State Representative from the 7th District of Illinois. He was very impressed, and now that he is Speaker of the Illinois House, it’s my hope he will return for an updated tour in the near future. These tours are vital for the future of Misericordia, and all families are constantly encouraged to bring their legislative members and all elected officials for tours.
Kevin Connelly (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Pete Cullen-Conway (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), and Vanja St. Clair (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) give tours to new friends who are prospective donors from groups such as corporations, churches, and retirement communities. They also give tours to friends of Mis families who wish to know more about Misericordia and to learn how they can best offer their financial and/or volunteer support. I have personally seen how effective this can be with benefits that last for years following a tour!
Paul Schwartz (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) gives tours primarily to corporate and educational groups who wish to combine the tour with volunteer service days. For example, I have brought several school groups who tour and then volunteer in the Mis Bakery, followed by lunch in the Greenhouse Inn. Some of these groups have continued to volunteer in the Bakery or as a group during Candy Days once they have enjoyed a tour.
Finally, Lindsey Wilkens (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and her Social Services Department give tours and explain the application and admission process to families who are interested in learning more about Misericordia, as a possible future placement for their family members.
I hope I have given you lots of wonderful reasons to think about arranging a tour. Doing so costs nothing but a little of your time; yet it can have a life-changing impact on the individuals taking the tour and potentially result in a lasting benefit to Misericordia as well. We have all been given the gift of Misericordia for our family members. Now we have another opportunity to show how much that gift is appreciated!
Send yours to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
