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!
Dear Families and Guardians,
Hope you had a nice weekend! We had a beautiful day yesterday for the Bank of America Marathon and would like to acknowledge the 85 runners who ran for Misericordia. Almost $150,000 was raised through the Heartracers, and they were seen throughout the 26.2-mile course, as evidenced by the posts/pictures on social media. Thank you/congratulations to everyone who ran, and thanks to family member Martha Floberg for coordinating the marathon on our end.
We are reaching out to families/guardians as your commitment and participation are crucial in enhancing the lives of your family members whom we are privileged to serve and allow us to achieve our mission each and every day here at Misericordia. And, as you know, your involvement, along with volunteering, makes a significant difference not only for your own family member but for all who call Misericordia home.
We are reestablishing the Family Participation Form and sharing the following link - MFAparticipation - which will allow you to complete it electronically. We are asking all families/guardians to complete the form no later than this Sunday - 10/20/2024.
Misericordia Champagne Holiday Brunches will be here before we know it. The dates will be Sunday, December 8th and 15th.
We still have seating available for December 15th.
The times in the Jean Marie Ryan Center will again be 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. The Lois Gates Courtyard Inn times will be 10:30 am and 1:30 pm.
The brunch prices will be $75 for adults and $20 for children 6-12 years of age (under 6 is no charge).
You can make your reservation and payment by visiting this link: https://www.biddingforgood.com/Misericordia.
During October, we are recognizing the hard work and dedication of the Misericordia Day Services, Resource/Recreation, Fitness/Pool, Community Outreach and Ministry Staff. There will be an Appreciation Event on Wednesday, October 23rd, which will include a catered lunch, staff gifts and raffles.
Misericordia Day Services is an enrichment program that focuses on developing and enhancing the residents’ daily living skills, economic self-sufficiency and independence. Day Services include Developmental Training, Community Day Services and McAuley Day Services.
The Resource/Recreation/McAuley Rec group includes recreation therapists, recreation specialists and a music therapist. They are responsible for Special Olympics, the Heartbreakers and Showtime plus many of the events that happen on campus such as yoga, art and team sports.
I hope you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. We at TFC have continued to push forward our mission to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have the widest array of quality residential and vocational services to choose from.
We also know that the upcoming election will result in a change in administration, regardless of which party prevails. There will be a number of new members of Congress. This means that we will have to expend considerable resources to make sure that our voice is heard by the new administration. We will also need to educate the new members of Congress on the issues of greatest concern to you. We will need to make sure that the new administration and the new members of Congress (along with returning members) understand that one-size-fits-all solutions do not work for a disabilities community that has a wide range of needs and preferences. This is particularly true for those with the most significant intellectual disabilities.
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?
CALLING ALL PARENTS AND GUARDIANS, IT’S TIME TO GET TOGETHER!
Sunday, October 20th at Misericordia’s Jean Marie Ryan Center
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
10:00 Sign-in, Coffee, and Bakery Sales
11:00 MFA General Meeting including:
12:00 Social time with beer, wine, soft drinks and pizza from JB Alberto’s
September 20, 2024
Greetings Co-workers and Families,
We have celebrated several holidays since I last wrote. I hope everyone had a good 4th of July and Labor Day. The long weekends are really nice.
From the 4th of July until right before Labor Day, the Human Resources (HR) Sub-committee of the Board met very often to make their recommendation for a new Vice President of HR Services. We are pleased to announce that Hayes Kennedy has joined us in this role. He comes to us from Conagra, but with a wide variety of HR experience. His family has been familiar with Misericordia for years. We are delighted to welcome him as he spends his first couple of weeks meeting everyone and getting acquainted with us. Welcome Hayes! Thanks to Sharon Keane for her years of dedicated service and keeping the Department together as we searched.
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:
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