Please check out the Artist in All website and become a sponsor, purchase tickets or preview a sample of the art that will be on display and auctioned off on November 16th at the Art Institute of Chicago. We are thrilled to be back and looking forward to celebrating 25 years of beautiful art produced by our Misericordia siblings and their amazing art instructors.
After two quiet years the Misericordia Hearts and Flour Bakery is once again planning on having individual and group volunteer opportunities this holiday season! If you, your friends or family members are interested in volunteering, please read more about the updated requirements for this and sign up at one of these links:
October and November Opportunities
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-misericordia6
December Opportunities
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-misericordia7
We're also looking for volunteers to help on Sundays in our on-campus restaurant, the Greenhouse Inn! Whether you're looking for service hours for school or supporting us on behalf of a friend or family member at Misericordia, we really appreciate the help! Click here for more information about this opportunity and to sign up.
The MFA invites you to attend our first IN PERSON Membership Meeting since October of 2019. Wait there’s more . . . We are also inviting you to join us at an After Party to celebrate our first chance to be together, live, in three years.
Welcome Back Re-connect with your friends and other members. Meet the MFA Board and Past Chairs. Welcome our new members. We’ll offer conversation, food and beverages and a TV watch corner will be set up for diehard Bears fans. Leave your checkbook at home -- this is just meant to be a fun way to re-engage with each other!
Sunday, October 30, 2022 in the Jean Marie Ryan Center
MFA Membership Meeting: 11:00 until 11:55 am (Doors open at 10:30 am)
Masks required on campus when not eating/drinking. The meeting will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
After Party: Noon – 3:00 pm (Bears vs Cowboys @ noon)
PLEASE RSVP! We’re ordering food so we ask that you RSVP here: http://rsvp.m-f-a.org
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
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
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