Dear Friends,
It has been a very long three years since we last gathered in person and I have so missed seeing all of you. Our Annual Sibling Meeting, Halloween Party and the Artist in All Signature Event have always been some of my favorite events as they allowed my fellow SIBs to come together and share in our common bond of having a Misericordia sibling. It has been 22 years since my own dear brother Fred was called home to the Lord. Knowing Fred, he is surely dancing on the mountaintop. Like you, I am so grateful that my sibling was able to be a part of the Misericordia community and live a dignified and joyous life.
As the pandemic moves into our rearview mirrors, our new SIBs Executive Board, led by incoming President Megan Biggam is working hard to re-engage and re-energize our group. I ask each of you to make time on Sunday, February 26 to join us in the Jean Marie Ryan Center at 1:00 p.m. Outgoing President Lisa Paradis and incoming President Megan Biggam are looking forward to sharing with you all of our successes in 2022 and plans for 2023 and beyond. Afterward if time allows, please join us for refreshments to re-connect with your fellow SIBs.
Sponsorship and Ad Book forms are available...do it now!
💡 Become a Benefit Sponsor by purchasing an ad for $5,000 or more
💡 Become a Benefit Contributor by purchasing an ad for less than $5,000
Here's how!
💡 Complete the online Sponsorship/Ad Book Contribution form (click HERE), or
💡 Print the paper form (click HERE) and mail with payment to Misericordia, or
💡 Pick up a paper form at Thome reception and mail with payment to Misericordia
And, please help us identify businesses and individuals who could be major Benefit donors. Contact the Sponsorship Committee: Rick & Connie Nash at
Any questions? Contact Patty Ramirez, Ad Book Committee Chair at
Submission deadline is April 16, 2023
The MFA Benefit will be in person this year at an exciting new location, the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, on Sunday August 27th.
To learn more about the Benefit and to access the Benefit documents, click on the website www.mfabenefit.org and then click on the word Documents in the menu bar at the top of the page. All the documents that are “live” are available there to read/print/download as needed. Other documents will be added to that list as those portions of the Benefit go live.
Fundraising to help support Misericordia is a major activity for family members of the Misericordia Family Association (MFA). It is, therefore, important for families to be able to track their fundraising activities and see their progress toward their annual fundraising goal. In the past, Misericordia provided families with a yearly Parent Report of their fundraising activities, but this was often not timely enough for families to thank people donating on their behalf.
Now, thanks to modern technology, this can be done in real-time using the Parent Portal, e.g., Misericordia has recently entered donations/purchases for the 2022 Artist in All event which are now available in the Parent Portal.
This past week (Thu, Jan 12 - Wed, Jan 18, 2023) the Community Transmission level was Substantial for Cook County.
Surgical masks will be required in all areas except McAuley, which will continue with N95s. In terms of visiting, unless you are taking your family member out, we ask that you continue to call, given the size of most homes and the limited number of visiting areas. We still continue to see activity on our campus, so we will proceed with caution and ask that mask usage continue for now.
*Going forward, we will only provide an update when there is a change in masking requirements.
Happy New Year, MFA Families! The Misericordia Volunteer Office is getting in touch to announce upcoming opportunities that are in need of volunteer assistance.
2023 Sunday Brunches in the Greenhouse Inn - We're in need of help on many upcoming Sundays in the Greenhouse Inn. This has historically been an area that the SIBs have taken charge of, and we would like to make a big push to have this resume in 2023. If you're a member of the SIBs, we're asking you to reach out to your network of friends and family and take on a Sunday in the restaurant. Since each shift in the Greenhouse Inn needs many people, this is a great opportunity to share the mission and community of Misericordia with friends new and old. More info about this opportunity and space to sign up for shifts can be found here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f4eadac29a57-sunday2#/
Laundry Volunteers - The laundry facility at Misericordia does thousands of pounds of laundry each week, and they are open 365 days a year. Monday - Friday there are residents working here as a part of our Community Day Services and Developmental Training programs, but on the weekends our staff continue the work with volunteer assistance. If you're interested in helping in our laundry facility, you can read more about this and sign up for shifts here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-misericordia13#/
Other upcoming volunteer needs throughout the spring and summer will be posted here, so please keep your eyes peeled for ways to stay involved with Misericordia!
pDear Families,
Thank you to those who were able to join us virtually for the MFA General Meeting (on January 15th).
However, if you were unable to make the meeting, the recording is available for your viewing.
It can be viewed on YouTube by going to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QIhlGg8R2Q
Thank you,
Pam and Jim Capraro
MFA Chairs
December 7, 2022
Dear Fellow Employees and Families,
As noted in my letter to all on November 14th regarding the status of organizational changes, I had announced that we had named the Vice President of Residential Services, Chris Krackenberger; the VP of Program Delivery, Tina Stendardo; and the VP of People, Culture and Strategy, Geana Connelly. At that time, we were still interviewing for the Vice President of Clinical Services. We have recently offered the position to one candidate and she has accepted. Her name is Madelyne Trejo and she is currently Associate Vice President of Nursing, Perioperative, GI, and Anesthesia at Swedish Covenant Hospital. She has her RN, MSN, and MBA; and, in addition to her clinical skills, Madelyne sees herself as a leader of people and takes pride in developing people to their full potential. It is imperative that we continue to develop and support new leaders here at Misericordia.
Madelyne will be joining our team in early January. She will be very busy for several months learning about Misericordia, our culture, mission and values and of course the residents, the staff, her departments and families. She will oversee all of nursing, physicians and nurse practitioners, therapy, dental office, dieticians, and provider clinics.
Madelyne will be joining the current VP team of Tina, Geana, and Chris. They will officially be in their new roles in January. All VP offices will be in the Administration hallway. We look forward to welcoming Madelyne to our Misericordia family.
Sincerely,
Fr. Jack Clair
President and Executive Director
Home Visit RequestDear Families,
We are looking ahead to the Christmas holiday home visit. We expect that COVID-19 transmission levels will continue to be high. We need your help when returning your family member to their respective homes. We do not have the nursing staff available to do rapid testing upon return. We are asking that families complete a COVID-19 home test on their family member prior to returning and complete the form that we provide (click here ). We do not need the actual test you used, just the results on the form. (Should the results be positive, please contact the Administrator or Director before bringing your resident back.)
Within several days of your resident's return, nursing will be doing PCR testing. This is a very nursing-intensive process, so it helps to spread out the testing. Our understanding is that home tests are readily available at your local drug store. We appreciate and need your cooperation with this process. Unless something changes, we will expect the same for Christmas. PLEASE NOTE: IF YOUR FAMILY MEMBER HAS HAD COVID-19 WITHIN THE LAST 60 DAYS, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TEST.
Mary Pat O'Brien, Executive Vice President
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