Misericordia is once again recognizing the hard work and dedication of its Staff this year. Different departments are recognized each month with a catered lunch, staff gifts and raffle drawings. The calendar below shows the schedule for the year. In addition to asking Misericordia families to provide e-mails of thanks and appreciation for the departments, we will be asking for volunteers to help with the events. Please check Mis Biz at the beginning of each month for additional information.
by Kathryn Moery
Responding to an ad in the local Rogers Park neighborhood paper, Tina Stendardo began working at Misericordia thirty years ago this past November. Tina’s degree is in Special Education and she has worked in many different capacities during her tenure with Misericordia. Most recently, she was named the Vice President of Program Delivery. In her new role, her oversight has expanded to not only include Day Services, but also Misericordia School, the Recreation Department, Moore Aquatic and Fitness Center, in addition to the Outreach and Adult Enrichment programs. Tina considers herself fortunate to work alongside talented and inspiring leaders such as Mary Pat O’Brien to whom she reports, Geana Connelly, Kevin Connelly, Chris Hegg-Krackenberger and Madelyne Trejo.
We need you to make your giving page today!
Dear Friends and Families,
Welcome to the 37th Annual Candy Days scheduled for April 28-29, 2023. It has been three years since our families and friends were out on the streets collecting donations for Misericordia. Despite sore feet, this annual event was one that many of our families and friends looked forward to and served as a testament to our belief in the mission of Misericordia. After careful discussion, we have once again made the decision to remain virtual for one more year - 2023. We are so grateful to everyone for the support you provided over the past three years. Last year, families and friends established 461 fundraising pages that reached nearly 11,324 donors and raised more than $2 million!
The MFA Benefit will be in person this year at an exciting new location, the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, on Sunday August 27th.
To learn more about the Benefit and to access the Benefit documents, click on the website www.mfabenefit.org and then click on the word Documents in the menu bar at the top of the page. All the documents that are “live” are available there to read/print/download as needed. Other documents will be added to that list as those portions of the Benefit go live.
The Women’s League will celebrate St. Paddy’s Day at the annual Heart of Gold benefit on Friday, March 17th!
We have been blown away by the interest in this year’s benefit, and are currently sold out of tickets! If you are unable to join us this year, we still have a number of ways you can join the fun and support Misericordia.
Raffle tickets are still available for our incredible prizes, including a diamond bracelet valued at $3,500, a 65-inch flat-screen TV, and a $2,500 cash prize. Raffle tickets are $100 and you need not be present to win! Click here to purchase your raffle tickets today!
Dear Friends,
It has been a very long three years since we last gathered in person and I have so missed seeing all of you. Our Annual Sibling Meeting, Halloween Party and the Artist in All Signature Event have always been some of my favorite events as they allowed my fellow SIBs to come together and share in our common bond of having a Misericordia sibling. It has been 22 years since my own dear brother Fred was called home to the Lord. Knowing Fred, he is surely dancing on the mountaintop. Like you, I am so grateful that my sibling was able to be a part of the Misericordia community and live a dignified and joyous life.
As the pandemic moves into our rearview mirrors, our new SIBs Executive Board, led by incoming President Megan Biggam is working hard to re-engage and re-energize our group. I ask each of you to make time on Sunday, February 26 to join us in the Jean Marie Ryan Center at 1:00 p.m. Outgoing President Lisa Paradis and incoming President Megan Biggam are looking forward to sharing with you all of our successes in 2022 and plans for 2023 and beyond. Afterward if time allows, please join us for refreshments to re-connect with your fellow SIBs.
The laundry facility at Misericordia does thousands of pounds of laundry each week, and they are open 365 days a year. Monday - Friday there are residents working here as a part of our Community Day Services and Developmental Training programs, but on the weekends our staff continue the work with volunteer assistance. If you're interested in helping in our laundry facility, you can read more about this and sign up for shifts here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4caeac23a2f49-misericordia13#/
Volunteer Office | Misericordia Heart of Mercy
This year, Misericordia will continue to recognize the hard work and dedication of the Staff with appreciation events. During February, the following departments are being recognized and will have an appreciation luncheon on Thursday, February 16th.
The Resource/Recreation 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.
The Fitness/Pool group assesses residents to provide appropriate workouts and modified exercises to meet their individual needs. There are swim classes, swim team practices, water basketball and free swim. Residents have access to treadmills, bikes, weights and wheelchair accessible equipment.
by Judy Wall
Madelyne Trejo is Misericordia’s new Vice President of Clinical Services. She comes to us with a wealth of education and rich experience. Madelyne has a Master’s Degree in Nursing, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, is a registered nurse, and most recently completed the NEA-BC certification (Nurse Executive Advanced Certified-Board Certified). The majority of her career has been in nursing leadership and management. While she has held positions at North Shore Health System’s Skokie and Glenbrook hospitals, Madelyne was most recently at Swedish Covenant Hospital as the Associate Vice President of Nursing, Perioperative, GI, and Anesthesia departments. Madelyne is a Chicago native and shared that her favorite thing to do in Chicago is to eat! (She is already a Misericordia Bakery fan.) She is married and has 2 sons and 1 daughter.
Fundraising to help support Misericordia is a major activity for family members of the Misericordia Family Association (MFA). It is, therefore, important for families to be able to track their fundraising activities and see their progress toward their annual fundraising goal. In the past, Misericordia provided families with a yearly Parent Report of their fundraising activities, but this was often not timely enough for families to thank people donating on their behalf.
Now, thanks to modern technology, this can be done in real-time using the Parent Portal, e.g., Misericordia has recently entered donations/purchases for the 2022 Artist in All event which are now available in the Parent Portal.
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