Dear Families,
We have received the unfortunate news that Camp Red Leaf will be closing. Our residents have loved their many summers at Camp Red Leaf and we are so sad that this was their last.
Going forward, Misericordia will not be coordinating camp experiences. If you find a camp that your family member would like to attend, please feel free to sign them up. Please be sure to inform the QIDP and/or Social Service representative of the anticipated dates.
The letter from Camp Red Leaf is below.
Sincerely,
Lindsey Wilkens
Social Service Director
lDear Fellow SIBs,
We are thrilled to announce that The Artist in All™ event will be back LIVE and IN PERSON on Wednesday, November 16 in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.
In honor of our 25th The Artist in All, we ask all of our SIBS members to support our event by attending, sponsoring and helping to bring in new sponsorships. Last year The Artist in All raised more than $925,000 for Misericordia Home. Our goal this year is to surpass this dollar amount. We can only do this with the collective effort of you and the Siblings Organization.
We need you to:
Rush University is studying a new assessment that measures cognitive skills in children, adolescents, and adults with intellectual disability. The purpose of this research is to explore whether certain types of intellectual or cognitive tests are reliable, valid, and sensitive to improvement in evaluating treatment responses.
There are two tracks to the study – the Developmental Arm for people between ages 4-25 and the Aging Arm for people over 25.
The time commitment for each study is as follows:
There is now an easy way to find all of the upcoming events that need volunteers and to sign up for them using the Events Calendar on the mfa-sibs.org website.
Start by going to mfa-sibs.org. If on your PC, on the right side of the screen at the bottom of the Upcoming Events list, click on View Full Calendar. If on your phone, select Events Calendar on the dropdown under the Home Button, scroll down to the bottom and click on View Full Calendar.
Then scroll down to the Categories list and select Volunteer Opportunity Events. Under Upcoming Events there will then be a list of the events that need volunteers. When you select an event, it will provide more information about the event and a link to SignUp Genuis to sign up to volunteer.
Note that each of those events will also show under the other category it belongs to. For example, the “DSP/CNA Appreciation Event Cheering for Staff” will show up under Volunteer Opportunity Events and under MFA Events.
If you have any questions, contact Diane Carpenter at
Let’s show our appreciation for the DSPs/CNAs/Therapy Aides who are the “backbone” of Misericordia by volunteering for events taking place during the week of September 12 – 16. Volunteers are needed for:
Tuesday, September 13 – El Zorro Tacos Food Truck. Volunteers will greet staff; collect tickets; and keep the area clean. There are four shifts from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.
Please sign up here: signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4EACAE2DA7FBC52-taco
Friday, September 16 – Cheering for Staff at the change of shifts and other key times. Volunteers can sign up for specific timeslots and locations and are asked to bring signs, balloons, noisemakers, etc. We ask that you cheer, clap, wave signs and express your appreciation to Staff.
Please sign up here: signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4eacae2da7fbc52-cheering
All volunteers must be vaccinated and boosted and wear masks at all times on campus. Please have a copy of your vaccination card.
Thank you,
Lisa Masucci & John Butler
MFA’s Staff Appreciation Coordinators
August 31, 2022
"DSP/CNA week starts the Monday after the Family Fest (Monday, September 12th). The staff would love to get notes of appreciation and gratitude. If families would rather do a short video - 2 or 3 min -that would be wonderful, too. Now more than ever, they need to hear from you. They are working so hard and we continue to be short-staffed, their commitment to our residents is amazing. We have arranged for food trucks and raffles and bakery and have scheduled many events during the week. The notes should be written to staff in general, not someone specific. We will post in all the areas and if we get enough videos, we will share as well.
Please send your notes and videos to your director or administrator by this weekend. Thanks very much and looking forward to seeing you on Sunday the 11th at the Fest!"
Mary Pat O'Brien
Our Family Fest Cash and Car raffle tickets are selling like hot cakes. Don’t forget to purchase your tickets and maybe you will be this year’s lucky winner of the $50,000 Grand Prize or you can drive away in a 2022 Kia Forte FE, donated by our good friend, Andy Francis of Evergreen KIA. To purchase or for more information about the Cash and Car raffles, please go to Misericordia Family Fest 2022.For information about Family Fest or becoming a sponsor, please go to Misericordia Family Fest 2022 or contact Lois Gates' Office at
Family Fest is quickly approaching, and we're still in need of volunteers! Please share the link below widely with your friends and family. There are opportunities for people of all ages, and all volunteers receive free admission to the Fest! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-20221
During August, Misericordia is recognizing the hard work and dedication of the Supervisors. There will be Appreciation Events on August 25th, which will include catered meals, staff gifts and raffles.
While the Supervisors’ roles vary depending on the residential area, the Supervisors manage the day-to-day routines of the residents, staff and programming and the communication with families. Some areas have a Supervisor on-site 24/7 while others have AM and PM Supervisors. Supervisors are an integral part of the care Misericordia provides to its residents.
We will be making an Appreciation Video to show at the events. We ask that families create a short video (15-20 seconds) expressing your thanks and appreciation for the work of the Supervisors. Please keep the video general, for example, “Thank you Misericordia Supervisors for all you do” and please don’t reference a specific Supervisor or area.
The success of Family Fest, on September 11, 2022, relies on the generosity of the Misericordia community. We are looking for hundreds of volunteers to help in the days leading up to the Fest, as well as on the day of the big event.
Please take a look at the following links and share widely with your friends, family and loved ones -
Volunteer opportunities in the days leading up to the Fest - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-2022
Volunteer opportunities on the day of the Fest - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-20221
On August 1, 2022 a number of changes to the MFA Board of Directors took effect. As a result of the MFA-wide election held in April - May 2022, the following Board positions/offices were filled:
MFA Chairs-Elect - Deborah & Scott Early
MFA Treasurer - Barb Rabinak
MFA Fundraising Chair - Holly Jennings
MFA Membership Chairs - Lisa Masucci & John Butler
Recording Secretaries - Barb Quaintance & Maryanne Marymont
McAuley Site Rep - Elizabeth Green
Representative-at-Large - Margaret & Scott Wagstaff
Page 23 of 31