New Staff Orientation: Welcome to Misericordia 
by Barb Quaintance
Misericordia needs many new staff to not only fill vacancies, but to staff the new residences at Rosemary Park. Human Resources is hard at work recruiting staff and training them on their job responsibilities and the culture of Misericordia.
When DSPs and Qs are hired, they are hired for a specific residential area. Then, all direct care staff—DSPs, Qs, DT Instructors—go through a four-week new staff orientation, conducted by Misericordia’s Staff Development team. The most recent classes had 55 participants. Here’s what’s covered in the orientation:
The Culture of Misericordia: A Community of Believers 
by Linda Buchalo
As part of the Misericordia community, we know that groups from all over the country look to Misericordia as the model for caring for people with disabilities. In fact, some families have relocated to the Chicago area for the express purpose of having their children reside at Misericordia Home. What makes this place so special?
At its very core, the culture of Misericordia is driven by five specific values, which are exemplified by residents, staff, families, and the organization itself. These values, collectively known as A Community of Believers, make Misericordia the community that it is—a group of individuals connected by common beliefs and values.
Misericordia Day Services: Something(s) for Everyone 
by Barb Quaintance
Day Services is a broad term used to describe all the programming that happens on the Misericordia campus, as well as in the surrounding community. This includes work opportunities, volunteering, art, fitness, horticulture and educational classes. Not only is there something for every resident, but there are also many things for every resident!
Within Day Services, there are three divisions:
- Community Day Services (CDS), which supports residents who live in CILAs and Shannon Apartments
- Conway/Holbrook Developmental Training (DT), whose participants are residents who live on campus.
- McAuley Developmental Training, which is tailored for McAuley residents who are too medically fragile to attend at Conway.
The Ministry Department at Misericordia: Tending to the Spiritual Needs of Residents, Staff and Families 
by Barb Quaintance
Misericordia takes care of the physical needs of its residents, of course. It also offers them day services and recreation and employment opportunities and fun and friendship. But Misericordia also tends to their spiritual and religious needs, a privilege and responsibility joyfully attended to by the Ministry Department: Father Bart Winters (VP of Mission), Andrew Blomquist (Director of Ministry) and Kathy Morris (Ministry Coordinator). Under the overall guidance of Fr. Jack Clair, who began his journey at Misericordia as Chaplain (and who now serves as President), they approach their ministry as one of “presence”, accompanying residents, staff and families alike along their journey of life and faith.
Family Fest: Powered By Volunteers 
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?
- How many volunteers are there on the day of Fest? There were over 1200 volunteers that day. Many more helped with set up in the days leading up to Fest, and volunteers also helped pull down the tents and do the necessary cleanup.
- How many total hours do Fest volunteers put in? On the day of Fest, volunteers put in at least 2100 hours.
- How many different volunteer roles/opportunities are there? Sixty-five individual areas are staffed entirely by volunteers. They include running the information booth, all of the food areas, admission gates, in-crowd entertainment, and selling raffle tickets. There are many other crucial volunteer roles in the days leading up to the fest, too: supporting the kitchen, bakery and the physical planning crew that sets up all of the tables, chairs, banners, stage and archways. After Fest, volunteers support cleaning and resetting the campus.
- How old are the youngest volunteers? The oldest? The youngest ‘official’ volunteers are 13, although many younger kids participate in the family booth or area. And the oldest volunteer is 90! He hand paints many of the boards that are hung around campus.
- Do the residents volunteer at Fest? Yes! This year, residents helped with recycling and garbage detail and a few residents were recruited to pull raffle winners. Of course, dozens of residents performed on the main stage! Many Shannon, CILA and Village residents helped the day after Fest, too.
- What’s the most popular Fest volunteer role? The Fest activity that requires the most support is the Children’s Games area for kids, 11 and under. Throughout the day, 150 people helped children play games, organized lines and distributed prizes.
- Could Misericordia put on Fest without volunteers? No! The Family Fest wouldn’t be possible without volunteer support. It’s estimated that the value of all of those volunteer hours is more than $35,000.
Family Fest “By the Numbers" 
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
Fit For Success - Misericordia Invests in Staff Development 
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:
- Tier One: Identity
- In this tier, staff explore topics such as how to be a better leader, how to be aware of their own judgements and biases, how to enhance their listening skills, how to communicate effectively and what their role can be in managing conflict.
- Tier Two: TeamworkBuilding on the skills explored in Tier One, participants examine—and practice--how to apply those skills with their teams.
The Misericordia Art Walk 
by Barb Quaintance
If you’ve been in one of our art studios or classrooms, or if you’ve attended The Artist in All, you know that some of the greatest artists in Chicago are Misericordia residents. During August, the campus showcased twenty-six remarkable art installations, all created by residents and their staff partners.
The Art Walk was a campus-wide effort. Twenty-three different groups of residents created these outdoor masterpieces, which were placed throughout campus. The groups were led by DT instructors, CDS instructors, art therapists, recreation/fitness staff, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, McAuley staff and several DSPs. They included mosaics, windchimes, ceramics, sculptures, and other creative, beautiful pieces of art.
It’s Almost Family Fest Time and “Creations from the Heart” Needs You! 
by Barb Quaintance
A staple at every Family Fest is the wonderful “Creations from the Heart” booth. Led by Jim & Lenore Varey and Mary Jo Gallaher, the booth sells beautiful handmade and handcrafted items. It’s a popular stop at the Fest!
The items sold at the booth include handmade afghans, blankets and quilted hats. Handcrafted wooden items, such as bird houses, cutting boards and holiday decorations are very popular as well. All items in the booth are donated by Misericordia family and friends.
Some of the “Creations from the Heart” artists have ‘retired’ over the last few years, so the booth leads are looking for additional artisans to donate their crafts and bolster the profits for Misericordia. And…they are open to all ideas!
If you're interested in donating or know someone who might be, or just have some creative suggestions, please contact Jim Varey at
Giving worms a back rub: Composting 1.0
by Kathryn and John Moery
“Anything we do should be done with the residents,” affirmed Daniel Driscoll, one of the founders of the Yesterday's/Tomorrow Composting Company - a new initiative that aims to create meaningful work opportunities through composting. Currently, there are nine CILA residents fully participating under the guidance of Daniel Driscoll, Liam Sanchez and Carmen Manfredini, staff members who founded the project. The founders exude a passion for this initiative to “shift the culture of Misericordia on how we perceive and process food waste while empowering residents to have a lasting impact on their community”. This work appeals not only to our residents but also to those who seek a better connection to themselves and the Earth.
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