MERCY MATTERS
“Be
Message from the Director
September 2014
sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone.”
22 New HCAT Graduates ready
to Assist Seniors in Need
Catherine McAuley
Dear Friends,
My parents assure me that my heritage is of
total German descent, so I am not sure how
to explain this...but I think I am Irish!
There must have been some mixing in
generations past, because the Irish spirit
lives large in my soul. Thus, it is with great
excitement and anticipation that I am
leaving in just a few days for a visit to the
“homeland”.
Now, lest my dear German Dad stop in his tracks with
this proclamation, I must confess that part of my Irish
spirit is connected to the fact that I have been an
Associate member of the Sisters of Mercy for the past
23 years. As part of that heritage, we celebrate the
opening of the first House of Mercy in Dublin by the
very Irish, Catherine McAuley, every September
24th, on ‘Mercy Day’. It is a special time of
remembering our spiritual roots. Sr. Mary Stanton
(yes...she is 100% Irish) and I will be in Ireland this
year to visit the founding sites on Mercy Day. Hence,
this journey is something of a pilgrimage for us.
Our work here at Mercy Neighborhood Ministries follow’s in the footsteps of
Catherine and all the thousands of women who joined her as Sisters of Mercy
since 1831, and the women and men around the world who are expanding that
circle of Mercy everyday as Associates, Companions, Volunteers, and Co-workers.
Through this ministry, we are called to be conduits of God’s mercy to our suffering,
contemporary world. But, as Catherine would instruct, we are also called to
celebrate God’s blessings of goodness and joy in our lives.
So, it is with this guidance that I am off to Ireland—wearing my Dad’s green sweater,
carrying my Mercy prayer book, and hoping to visit a pub every night...for that
“comfortable cup of tea”, of course!
So, until we meet again…
Slán go foil,
Over the summer our Home Care
Aide Training Program graduated 22
new aides who can’t wait to start
working. After completing the four
week training program, all our
graduates had employment secured
or were actively interviewing with
one of our partner homecare
agencies. Thank you to our HCAT
Team who work so hard to make this
program a success!
Changing Lives With a Touch of Mercy
Plenty of Treats (and maybe a few tricks) at the 2014 Taste of the Neighborhood
Mark your calendars and join us at Purcell Marian High School on October 26 from 12:00—
3:00 for our largest fundraiser of the year, Taste of the Neighborhood. All of your favorite
restaurants will be back to provide tastings of some of their
most popular dishes, including Eli’s BBQ, The Brewhouse,
Kitchen 452, and The Bonbonerie just to name a few! Worried
about keeping track of the Bengals’ score that day? Don’t worry
we have you covered! We’ll have
the game on in a special viewing
area where Ei8ht Ball Brewing
will be serving up some of their local brews. Kids will have plenty to keep
them busy including pumpkin decorating, face painting, and trick or
treating! Rockin’ Ron from WGRR will be our emcee again this year and
local entertainer and tribute artist, Mike Davis, will perform as well.
Make sure you get your bids in early at our silent auction and take a
chance on one of our gift baskets too! Buy It Now items will be available
for bid on our website in early October. Enjoy a day of fun, food, and
entertainment for the whole family. For more information or to purchase
major award raffle chances contact Aimee at ashinkle@mnministries.org.
Education Services: A Balance of Workforce Development and GED/ABLE
After much planning, Education Services launched a new schedule
and updated program design in early September. While
continuing to be an ABLE/GED program, the focus will also now
encompass a greater soft skills and workforce development
emphasis. The academic focus will be on strengthening basic and
intermediate math and language skills. This will also enable us to
support our HCAT graduates, some of whom are part of our new
Transitional Employment Program, to further develop the soft skills
needed to succeed in the workplace. With the Education Services
Team better able to focus their energy and time, they look forward
to a greater inter departmental interaction and working holistically
to support MNM participants in becoming stronger and more active
members of our community. Our dedicated volunteers help make this possible and we are so grateful!
Friends Gather After Hours to Support MNM at Madtree Brewing
On September 10th, new and longtime friends of
MNM gathered for a fun night out at one of
Cincinnati’s most popular breweries. Attendees
were able to try any of Madtree’s brews all with
clever names from Happy Amber, Gnarly Brown, and
The Great PumpCan...just to name few! A gift basket
filled with assorted Madtree swag, MNM pint
glasses, and a gift certificate to Dewey’s Pizza
was also raffled off. Many thanks to Lauren
Amos and her team. Keep an eye out for our
next “After Hours” fundraiser coming soon!
Mercy Montessori Students Throw Our
Seniors a Birthday Party
Now that
school is
back in
session,
Mercy
Montessori
students
will be back
at MNM
volunteering
in the food pantry and other senior service
programs. On September 10, they hosted the
quarterly birthday party for our seniors. One of
the guests of honor, Chris, sent a note to MNM
staff saying “The birthday party celebration was
just wonderful. Thanks to the two students that
came and sat with me at my table. I will
remember them as long as I
live.” Activities like these
are critical for our seniors as
it gives them opportunities
to socialize and reduces
isolation.