by Linda Buchalo
Our next stop on the tour of Misericordia residences takes us to Mercy Glen, the home of 47 very fun-loving and outgoing individuals. This group definitely enjoys life to the fullest.
Mercy Glen comprises four ranch-style homes that were constructed in 2010. Three of the homes are all-male and the fourth serves female residents. Each home has a main living area and kitchens as well as a large lower-level social area. The bedrooms are divided into single and double rooms, for a total of twelve beds per house. Patios and gardens provide a place for gathering outdoors.
Each home is staffed by three people per shift. The residents at Mercy Glen benefit by additional support from staff for activities of daily living and navigation within the campus. All the homes are a short walk to support services and the campus amenities, maximizing the quality of life for Mercy Glen residents.
The 25th annual Artist In All event preparations are in motion, and we need your help! We are in need of volunteers to stuff the invitations, seal the outer envelopes, adhere mailing labels, and stamp the invites for our guests.
Date: 10/08/2022 (Sat.)
Times: 9:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Location: Misericordia Lois Gates Courtyard Inn, 6300 North Ridge Avenue
Please report to the Courtyard Inn at Misericordia. Enter through the Ridge Avenue main entrance. We will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Megan Biggam at
Thank you,
Misericordia Siblings Association
September 27, 2022
Dear Parents, Siblings and Guardians,
It is with genuine disappointment and an abundance of caution that we are cancelling our Sibling Halloween party that was scheduled for Sunday, October 23. Offering full transparency regarding unresolved Covid and ongoing shortage of staff and volunteers has led us to postpone this celebration until a later date. We are hopeful that we can gather together after the holidays and enjoy each other’s company at a masquerade party in our beautiful Jean Marie Ryan Center.
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you in your favorite costumes.
Lois C. Gates
Executive Director
Misericordia Foundation
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
Dear 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:
By Kathryn Moery
Those two magnificent floors in the building above the new Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery and Café invite the curious eye upward from street level. These floors house the Ravenswood programs, which include the art studio for Misericordia residents, and coffee production, creating more opportunities for competitive employment in the community. Visiting the building with Michael Diaz, Administrator of Employment Services and Community Day Services, and Charles Carper, supervisor of the coffee packaging program, we talked and toured the upper floors of this incredible site to see what is happening, and to learn what the future holds.
The second-floor art studio enjoys panoramic terrace views. On any given day, six to eight residents will find inspiration for creating their Artist in All works under the guidance of Allison Slak, a painter and jewelry-maker in her own right. The views outside on the terrace may activate the creative juices and rhythms to flow, but Allison also integrates chair yoga outdoors on the terrace to encourage spirituality and sensory stimulation. On our recent visit, we encountered colorfully masterful renderings of ’57 Chevies, the greens of a peaceful golf course, and the leaves of a tree bursting forth with color as the artist worked. These artists will receive fifty per cent of the proceeds of the sale of their art, closely comparable to private art sales by artists in the community at-large.
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
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