2014-2015 Annual Report

“This year has changed me in so many ways. I am no longer blind to life
on the streets and this new knowledge has opened my heart to those
suffering from homelessness. My year has taught me many lessons, some
painful, all necessary. My year of service has made me a better person.
Without your support, I would not have been able to participate in this
amazing program, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
-Shannon Chisholm ’14
A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Administrative Staff:
Marian Uba
Executive Director
Mary DeMarco
Office Manager
John Farley
Director of Advancement
Elizabeth MacNeal
“It’s hard to put into words
all that I will carry with
me in my mind and heart
as I move forward, but I
know this experience will
continue to transform me
for the rest of my life.”
Communication Specialist
Community Coordinators:
Marie Schultz-Stebel
Program Director
Angie Carlton
West Midwest
Chris Davidson
Mid-Atlantic
-Alex Pierlott ’14
Suzy Murphy James
NyPPaW
Keri Young
Northeast
Board of Directors:
John Glenn
Lisa Griffith, RSM, Chair
Steve Knight
Deborah Troillett, RSM
Carol Tropiano, RSM
Chloe Van Aken
Marian Uba
“Sometimes I have this moment
where I’m like ‘Who’s helping who
here?’ They surprise me every day,
and they teach me probably much
more than I could teach them.”
-Maureen Paley ’14
Cover Photo:
Philadelphia Volunteer at
her service site last spring.
It is with GREAT JOY that I share this 2014-15 Annual Report
with you. As I begin my ninth year as the Executive Director
of Mercy Volunteer Corps I am even more grateful for the
opportunity to accompany people who commit themselves daily
to the mission of service set forth by Catherine McAuley and the
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
In his remarks during the 2013 World Youth Day, Pope Francis
urges us all to create the material and spiritual conditions for
the full development of young people. He affirms the need to
pass on to them, “lasting values that make life worth living; to
give them a transcendent horizon for their thirst for authentic
happiness and their creativity for the good; to give them the
legacy of a world worthy of human life; and to awaken in them
their greatest potential as builders of their own destiny, sharing
responsibility for the future of everyone.” When I first read these
remarks I immediately thought of the gift of Mercy Volunteer
Corps for in fact, this is what our hope is for each of our Mercy
Volunteers as they serve out their year working with those who
are marginalized.
This year we began a partnership with McAuley Ministries in
Pittsburgh to create volunteer opportunities in the ministries
where they are most needed in Pittsburgh. We are thankful for
their support and encouragement.
We are so grateful to our community of foundations, donors,
board members, alumni, sites and all those who support us in
so many ways. Your continued involvement means that new
volunteers will be empowered to walk on the path of holy ground
already travelled by more than 1,000 lay women and men and
that together we will move this mission of service forward in the
name of Mercy.
Marian Uba
Executive Director
MIRACLES
IN DETROIT
VOLUNTEER REFLECTION
BY: RICH SAMARTINO ‘14
I
tell people all the time that
miracles
happen.
Some
unexplained force comes into
a situation and changes it in
ways that people never could
have imagined, often with positive,
inspiring or beautiful results. Though
some people react skeptically to the
possibility of miracles occurring, I
believe that my year in Detroit with
Mercy Volunteer Corps has been full
of miracles from the very beginning.
I’ll start my story right there: at
the beginning. I was sitting in the
Chester County, Pennsylvania public
library, clicking through job listings
on the website idealist.org. I had just
been turned down by the one job
prospect I had, and my quest to work
with issues related to social justice
seemed to be at a dead end.
But then, like a bolt of lightning, I saw
it: a job posting for someone working
with people with disabilities in a
poor area of Philadelphia through an
organization called Mercy Volunteer
Corps. I couldn’t believe it - of my
two most recent volunteer jobs,
one was working with adults with
developmental disabilities, the other
living at a community for people
recovering from drug and alcohol
addiction in North Philadelphia. The
position seemed like a perfect match,
and I called for more information
only to find out that the position had
already been filled. “But,” said the
voice on the other end, “we do have
one spot left in Detroit.”
With a burning desire to work
directly with issues related to social
justice, I decided to read more details
about the opening at Cabrini Clinic,
America’s oldest free health clinic.
The clinic’s small staff and history
of advocating for social justice in
healthcare appealed to me as an
ideal place to get involved with issues
related to social justice. Within days,
I had been accepted to the program,
and in a little over a month I was
living in Detroit.
When I arrived in Detroit, I found a
city full of people actively working
to create a more just society. My
placement at Cabrini Clinic put
me in contact with one of the most
connected people in the struggle for
justice in Detroit, Sister Mary Ellen
Howard, RSM, former Executive
Director of Cabrini and a member
of the Detroit People’s Water Board,
among many other organizations. By
the time my first month in Detroit
was over, I had attended a People’s
Water Board meeting and several
other justice-related gatherings with
Mary Ellen. Like a duck taking to
water, I began to make my own
connections with people involved in
the struggle in Detroit.
A breakthrough that allowed me to
become involved as a contributing
member to the movement for justice
came when I attended a meeting
of Detroiters Resisting Emergency
Management. I graduated from Penn
State with a degree in Information
Sciences & Technology, so when I sat
down and heard the group discussing
the need for someone to update their
website, I knew I had found a perfect
opportunity to contribute my IT
skills to the fight for justice in Detroit.
I soon had administrator access
to the group’s website and began
posting articles
that
group
members sent to
me, something
I have done
several times per
week for several
months now.
This seemingly
s i m p l e
contribution has
led me places I
never could have
imagined. I now personally know
many of the key people involved in
the struggle against water shutoffs
and tax foreclosures in the city, and
most amazingly to me, contributing
my IT skills has allowed me to be not
just an admirer of these talented and
dedicated people, but a co-worker
and comrade as well. Most recently,
I have been asked to help create a
website for legendary Detroit activist
Grace Lee Boggs’ 100th birthday
party.
I don’t know any other way that I
could have become so intimately
involved in a struggle so important
to me in a way that allows me
to contribute my greatest gift of
technology skills.
Whether this is a miracle or not is
open to interpretation. However, I
would like to close by comparing
my presence in Detroit to a seed, one
that finds fertile ground and begins
to grow. Eventually, it becomes so big
that even birds and other animals rest
on its branches and enjoy the sunlight
that gives life to all beings. I feel that
my work here has already touched
many lives and made a positive impact
in the struggle for justice in Detroit.
However, like any living thing I want
to keep growing and reach my full
potential. Eventually all plants and
animals pass away, but it is the image
of each one of us resonating with the
spirit within at such a frequency that
the whole world hums along with
us, that is the true miracle of life
and highest
aim of any
person here.
But it all
starts with
a little, dark
seed in cold
ground.
Until, by an
unexplained
force, green
s h o o t s
e x t e n d
upward and hairy roots down. Why
these changes at this particular
time and in this way? Who can
explain it? You can provide your own
explanation. I call it a miracle.
DONOR NAMES
2 014 -2 015
OUR MISSION WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE
WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT! THANK YOU!
*Denotes Mercy Associate **Denotes Matching Gift
MERCY VOLUNTEER, GRACE YI, PLAYS WITH STUDENTS AT
MERCY NEIGHBORHOOD MINISTRIES IN PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Theresa Agliardi, RSM
Shirley Agnew, RSM
Mary Seton Agovino, RSM
Alaska Tanker Company, LLC**
Marjorie Allen, RSM
Denise Batistoni
Diane Battaglia Dillon
Carol F. Beaudoin, RSM
Benedict Begin, RSM
Virginia Benenati
Anne Marie Berenato, RSM
Elizabeth Berliner
Joanne Bibeau, RSM
Pauline Blake*
Kathleen and Simon Borys
Michael Mary Brabner, RSM
Mary Ann Brady, RSM
Michel Brennan, RSM
Carolyn Brink, RSM
Mary Jeanne and Robert Broderick
Basil Brody
Bernadine Brown
Mary Agnes Brueggen, RSM
Kevin Brunner
Elizabeth Bryson, RSM
Mary Buckman, RSM
Mary Burke, RSM
Rita Burke
Helen Marie Burns, RSM
Carol Burris
Lois Burroughs, RSM
Cristina Caballero, RSM
Earl Caffrey, Jr.
Cathleen Cahill, RSM
Eileen Campbell, RSM
Judith Cannon, RSM
Lori Carlin
Rita Carney
Immaculate Carotenuto
Jean Carroll, RSM
Barbara Centner, RSM
Mary and Bill Chambers
Petra Chavez, RSM
Dorothy Choyce, RSM
Mary Christella, RSM
Maureen Christi Donahue, RSM
Virgena Clark, RSM
Barbara and Michael Clements
Joy Clough, RSM
Holly Cloutier, RSM
John A. Collins, CSsR
Catherine Colliton, RSM
Madeleva Comiskey, RSM
Jeanne Conley, RSM
Mary Conners
Rosemary and Robert Connor*
Mary Corkery, RSM
Mary Kateri Costa, RSM
Barbara Craig, RSM
Jocile Crocker
Mary Cronin, RSM
Carmen Cruz, RSM
Georgita Cunningham, RSM
Nancy and Paul F. Cushing
Mary Giuseppe DaBella, RSM
Mary Brigid Danaher, RSM
Frances D’Angelo*
Mary Ann Danovich
Capt. T.J. Davies, Jr.
Mary DeFrancesco, RSM
Andre Dembowski, RSM
Beverly Derbacher, RSM
Anne Devaney, RSM
Mary Ellen Devereux, RSM
Emily Devine, RSM
Regina Marie Doelker, RSM
Anne Donigan, RSM
Mary Agnes Donnelly, RSM
Margaret Donohue, RSM
Janice Doody, RSM
Evangela Dorris, RSM
Mary and Daniel Doyle
Bettina Dubas
Susan Dunnwald, RSM
Mary Felice Duska, RSM
Deanna Dutro
Mary del Rey Ekler, RSM
Mary Sharon Ekler, RSM
St. Anthonys Catholic Church
Ely Council of Catholic Women
Edwin English, RSM
Mary Enyart
Rosamond Ethier, RSM
Marise Fabie, RSM
Anne and Joseph Falco
Margaret Farley, RSM
Laureen Fitzgerald, RSM
Ann Flanagan, RSM
Miriam Flynn
Charlotte Fortier, RSM
Lilyan Fraher, RSM
Mary Fraser, RSM
Camillus Frechette, RSM
Lucy Frein, RSM
Mary Anton Frick, RSM
Marlene Fritz, RSM
Joan Gadek
Clare Galicia
Gladys Garcia*
Mary Pat Garvin, RSM
Carol Gedid*
MaryAnn and Larry Genuardi
Sheila A. Geraghty, RSM
Maryann Gibson
Dane Gill
M. Laetitia Gillis, RSM
Give With Liberty**
Marianne and Paul Gontarek
GoodSearch
M. Jude Graham, RSM
Philip Graham
Linda and John Griffith
Judy Gullotti
Mindy Hall
Maureen Hally, RSM
Margaret Hannan, RSM
Mary Hannon, RSM
Mary Hanseder, RSM
Carol Harbeck, RSM
M. Faith Harding, RSM
Patricia Harrington, RSM
Percylee Hart, RSM
Marie Hartmann, RSM
Mary Jane Hasemeier
Karla Haydam
Carol Hayden
Jan Hayes, RSM
Ellen Hendrickson*
Kathleen Hennessy, RSM
Judith Herrmann, RSM
Lourdette Herrold, RSM
M. Melinda Hill, RSM
Mary Gabrielle Hoefer, RSM
Mary Monica Hoefer, RSM
Ruth Hollen, RSM
Stephanie Holub, RSM
Carol Hopkins, RSM
Julie Horvath, RSM
Kathleen M. Howe*
M. Hope Hughes, RSM
Barbara Hunt, RSM
Monica Imgrund, RSM
Marylou and John Jacoby
Mary Jakubowski, RSM
Dale Jarvis, RSM
Rosemary E. Jeffries, RSM, Ph.D.
Mary Alice Jennings
Ann Marie Judson*
Irene Kay, RSM
Mary Jo Kearns, RSM
Gayle and David Kelley
Rosemary Kelley, RSM
Charlene Kelly, RSM
Eugenia Kelly
Jane Kelly, RSM
Theresa Kelly, RSM
Therese Marie Kenny, RSM
Mary Kerwin, RSM
Rita Kiernan, RSM
Dorothy Kline, RSM
Antoinette Kohler
Constance Kozel, RSM
Barbara Kozlowski
Colman Krise, RSM
Marie Kubiak, RSM
Catherine Kuper, RSM
Suzanne Lachapelle, RSM
Maris Stella Laliberte, RSM
James Lawson
Jean Little, RSM
Lydia and Robert Lohrey*
Dorothy Lord, RSM
Amata Lorenz, RSM
Mary Jeanne and Ronald Lorenzo
Frances Lynch, RSM
Regina Lyons*
Linda Madden-Brenholts*
Sally Maloney, RSM
Reverend James Patrick
Mannion, Jr.
Nancy Marchini
Alberic Martin, RSM
Marymount University
Maureen and Dennis Matulewicz
Joseph Maureen, RSM
Bobbie May
Mary Norma McCabe, RSM
Kathleen McClelland, RSM
Karen and George McClennen
Iona McDade
The McDonough Family
Maureen McElroy, RSM
Jean McGinty
Vivian McGlynn*
Rosemarie McGrath*
M. Geraldyn McGreevy, RSM
Mary McGrory, RSM
Margaret McHugh, RSM
Kay McIntyre, RSM
Katherine McKeaney DiMedio
Rose A. McLellan, RSM
Virginia Medwid, RSM
Jean and James Meehan
Marilyn Metz, RSM
Agnese Mikolaj, RSM
M. Stephanie Miller, RSM
Mary Miller, RSM
Karen Misorek
Lorita Moffatt, RSM
Marguerite Montalto, RSM
Maureen Morgan, RSM
Mary Kathleen Moross, RSM
Mount Saint Mary
Carol Mucha, RSM
Lenore Mulvihill, RSM
Patricia Murphy
Joan Nemann, RSM
Network for Good
Barbara Newton, RSM
Lisa and Greg Niehaus
Judith Niemet, RSM
Carolyn Nieset*
Eleanor Nishio, RSM
Mary and John Nolan
Mary Christel Nolan, RSM
Olivia Obregon, RSM
Brigid O’Brien
Fay O’Brien, RSM
Darlene O’Callaghan
William P. O’Connell
Thomas O’Hare
Kathy Olbrich
Maria O’Leary, RSM
Maureen and William Olphert
Margaret and Lawrence O’Malley
Tim O’Malley
Catherine O’Shea
Mary Donata Ovelgonne, RSM
Jacqueline Palama
Helene Perry*
Loraine Marie Peter, RSM
Pauline Petruzella, RSM
Claudine Picard, RSM
Claire Plamondon, RSM
Margaret Mary Platte, RSM
Mary Lou Podzimek, RSM
Mary Anne Poeschl, RSM
Dorothy Porcaro, RSM
Elizabeth Powell, RSM
Prudential Foundation
Matching Gifts**
M. Brigid Quinn, RSM
Catherine Rawley, RSM
Monica Reichmuth, RSM
Fran A. Repka, RSM, Ed.D
Maria Ricci, RSM
Margaret Riebel
Phyllis Ann Ries, RSM
Barbara Riley, RSM
Deacon John and Regina Riordan
Joan Rokicki, RSM
Geri Rosinski, RSM
Brenda Rowe, RSM
Rita Ruetz, RSM
Helen Ruhl, RSM
Evelyn and Thomas Rybaltowski
Jeanine Salak, RSM
Peter Sandusky
Mary Anthony Schifano, RSM
Jane Schlosser, RSM
Karen Schneider, RSM, M.D.
Marian Schultz, RSM
Alice Semanchuk*
Romaine Marie Shannon, RSM
Ellen Shea, RSM
Mary Elizabeth Shea, RSM
Mary Sheehan, RSM
Sarah M. Sherman, RSM
William and Bette Simmons
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas**
Edna Slyck, RSM
Rebecca Lieberman and
George Smee
Betty Smith, RSM
Kathleen Mary Smith, RSM
Polly Smith*
Marian and Larry Snyder
Margaret Songster, RSM
FOUNDATIONS
2014-2015 GRANTS AWARDED TO MERCY VOLUNTEER CORPS
Bray Family Foundation
Walter G. Canipe Foundation, Inc.
The Patricia Kind Family Foundation
Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Inc.
Austin Carroll Fund
McAuley Ministries, Inc.
Metzger-Price Fund, Inc.
Molloy Foundation, Inc.
St. Vincent’s Academy
Lisa Staudacher, RSM
Evangelista Strohmier, RSM
Leona Stumpf, RSM
Diane Szubrowski, RSM
Janette Tahy*
Kathy and Dick Target*
M. Joeline Teixeira, RSM
Carole Temming, RSM
The Jesuit Community,
University of Detroit Mercy
Honey and Michael Theogene*
Frances Thomas, RSM
Jeanette Mary Thomas, RSM
Patricia Thompson, RSM
Mary Trainer, RSM
Truist**
Joan Turbyville
Anne Turnbach, RSM
Katherine and Zigmont Ulinski
Anne Vaccarest, RSM
Mary Eugenia Vastola, RSM
Andrea Vettori
Ellen Vopicka
M. Jude Walsh, RSM
Susan Walsh, RSM
Sally Walz, RSM
M. Benedict Joseph
Watters, RSM
Margaret Weber, RSM
Susanne Weetenkamp, RSM
Rose Weidenbenner, RSM
Ernest Weiler
Amy and Tim Weindel
Elizabeth Wekall, RSM
Nora Wessel
Eileen White, RSM
Suzanne White, RSM
Susan Wieczynski, RSM
Marylue and Scott Wiesen
Joan and Eugene Wilkinson
Barbara Williams, RSM
Rose Mary Williams
Frances Winkler
Margaret Winters
Linda Wolgamott
Patricia and David Zensky
Mary Leona Zetah, RSM
Antoinette Zimmerman, RSM
Kathleen and Donald Zundel
ALUMNI
DONORS
Jacqueline Abbey ‘07
Roberta Bamrick ‘96
Susan Baumher Mitchell* ‘83, ‘84
Colleen and Vincent Belz
Frascatore ‘93
Nicole Bendistis Imler ‘00, ‘01
Maureen Berran Kubicek ‘02
Marilyn Bucheri ‘09
Mary Buxton* ‘02
Angie Carlton* ‘05
Megan Carolin* ‘09
Sandy and Malcolm Cochran ‘95
Kim D’Albenzio* ‘03
Paige Danos ‘02, ‘03
Jake DeMarais ‘12
Sarah Dorman ‘13
Roxann and Paul Dorweiler
‘93, ‘94, ‘97
Cara and Walter Doughty ‘85, ‘86
Jason Downer SJ ‘03
Erin Dunne ‘14
Jean Foster* ‘94, ‘96, ‘97
Corbin Gardner ‘13
Ann Marie Gillespie ‘84
Dottie and Skip Glover ‘06
Kathryn Gontarek Timer ‘01, ‘02
Shirley Grobson ‘02, ‘03
Susan K Hamell ‘98
Kaytlin Heckler ‘14
Janice Horne ‘03
Dawn Hunter Geoppinger ‘01
Mariah Iapicco ‘13, ‘14
Brynn Jones ‘10
William Jungerman ‘95-’01
Alyssa Keller ‘14
Bridget Kelley* ‘09
Georgellen Kelly ‘81, ‘82, ‘83
Stacy and Jake Konow
DeMarais ‘12
Martha LaFreniere Harris ‘85, ‘86
Catherine MacLean ‘10
Cathy Manderfield, RSM ‘96, ‘97
Catherine McCafferty ‘12
John McLoughlin* ‘90, ‘98, ‘99
Jane Murphy* ‘90
Susan Murphy James* ‘05
Violet Murphy ‘98
JoAnne Murray Schluckebier ‘81
Erin Nangle ‘97, ‘98
Stephanie Nibaur ‘13
Gisela and Sherman Otto ‘06
Maureen Paley ‘14
Antoinette Payner ‘96
Laura Peterson ‘96
Mary Jo Pierantozzi* ‘79
Vickie Piontkowski ‘00
Deanna Poggie Sokola ‘01
Quetzalli Rocha ‘14
Margaret Satterfield ‘03
Michele Marie Schroeck, RSM ‘88
Marie Schultz-Stebel* ‘99
Lara Scott ‘02
Dixie Scruggs ‘13
Lisa Stellino Lamboy ‘02, ‘03
Lauren Stokes ‘14
Alice Valentine ‘03
Rosalynde Vas Dias ‘99
Marcia Wall Salvo ‘81
Leslie and Andrew Wessel* ‘04
Irene Wilkinson Best* ‘97
Robert Wotypka ‘08
Linda Dowling Youth* ‘10
MERCY VOLUNTEER CORPS
2014-2015 REPORT
A YEAR IN REVIEW WITH MERCY VOLUNTEER CORPS
REVENUE
ASSETS
500+
Paige Danos ‘02, ‘03
Reverend William Dooner
Erin Dunne ‘14
Lisa and Joe Falco ‘97, ‘98
John Glenn
Lois Graver, RSM
Irene and Henry Graves
Amy Hoey, RSM
Steven Knight
Karen and Richard Lopez
Madonna Moran, RSM
Jeanne O’Rourke, RSM
Bob Paley
Maureen Paley ‘14
Reverend Leonard Rusay
Margaret Satterfield ‘03
Dixie Scruggs ‘13
Frank Seidman
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Julie and Gene Sparks
Robert Stauffer
Marian Uba*
Chloe and William Van Aken*
Vicki Vanderveen
Kristine and David Weber
Aidan Whitehead
Stephen Uba
Mary and Alejandro Aguilera-Titus
Susan Baumher Mitchell* ‘83, ‘84
Maureen Berran Kubicek ‘02
Jennifer Brown
Johanna Burnell, RSM
Angie Carlton* ‘05
Susan Carroll
Collaborative Leadership
Development Program
John Collins, CSsR
Thomas Coughlin, Jr.
Anne Curtis, RSM
Chris Davidson
Deborah Gainer-De Coster
Marc De Coster
Frances Demarco, RSM
Mary DeMarco
Sheila Devereux, RSM
Patrick Devine
Lisa and Michael Engro
John Farley
Rayleen Giannotti, RSM
John Glenn
Lois Graver, RSM
Lisa Griffith, RSM
Denise Hackney
Carol Hale
Steve Knight
Linda and Daniel Lefferts
Elizabeth MacNeal
Sylvia and Thomas Marcheskie
Patricia McDermott, RSM
Lisa* and Patrick McGarry
John McLoughlin* ‘90, ‘98, ‘99
Mercy Circle, Chicago
Mercy Investment Services, Inc.
Geraldine and Joseph Mooney
Madonna Moran, RSM
Susan Murphy James* 05
Brigid O’Brien*
Jeanne O’Rourke, RSM
Mary Jo Pierantozzi* ‘79
Lorraine Rega
Kathleen and Ralph Schultz
Marie Schultz-Stebel* ‘99
Sisters of Mercy, Mid-Atlantic
Sisters of Mercy, West Midwest
Sisters of Mercy,
Institute Leadership Team
Lisa Stellino Lamboy ‘02, ‘03
STERIS Corporation
Deborah Troillett, RSM
Carol Tropiano, RSM
Kathryn Uba
Marian Uba
Jane and Joseph Vacca
Chloe and William Van Aken
Kathleen Wade
Patricia and Douglas Warren
Kristine and David Weber
Amy and Tim Weindel
Leslie and Andrew Wessel ‘04
Irene Wilkinson Best* ‘97
Keri Young
IN KIND DONATIONS
Katherine Bednarcik, RSM
Judy Carey, RSM
Jean Carroll, RSM
Convent of Mercy
Elaine Deasy, RSM
Mary Ida Dolan, RSM
Dory Dominguez
Mary Fahy, RSM
Beth Fischer, RSM
Carmela Garofalo, RSM
John Glenn
Google, Inc.
Barbara Gould, RSM
Gwynedd-Mercy University
Mary Jean Johnson
Steve Knight
Margaret Langevin
Lorraine LaVigne, RSM
Susan Lohr
Linda Madden*
Joe McCarthy
Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy
Sarah McCarthy Fleming ‘01, ‘02
Kati McMahon, RSM
Betsy McMillian, RSM
Mercy Health Center, Pittsburgh
Jan Merzlak
Eriin Moran ‘09
Mr. and Mrs. Moran
Betty O’Hare, RSM
Printco Graphics
Colleen Rhoads
Karen Scheer, RSM
Judy Scott*
Kathleen Swift
Meghann Terry
Deborah Troillett, RSM
Chloe Van Aken*
MAJOR DONORS
Denise Allen*
Susan Baumher
Mitchell* ‘83, ‘84
Nicole Bendistis Imler ‘00, ‘01
Mary Janice Brink, RSM
Judith Carle, RSM
Barbara and Peter Coyne
Anne Curtis, RSM
IN MEMORY
Mercy Volunteer Corps
expanded to two new cities,
Pittsburgh and Hartford,
during the 2014-2015 year.
DONATIONS IN MEMORY OF
William Eberle
Lisa* and Patrick McGarry
Rita Mary Olszewski, RSM
Rosanne and Gerrard Gumbleton, Jr.
69% PROGRAM
17% ADMINISTRATION
14% DEVELOPMENT
HONOR
DONATIONS IN HONOR OF
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Bradley
Catherine MacLean ‘10
Johanna Burnell, RSM Jubilee
Nicole and John Jesse III
Sr. Eileen Campbell’s Golden Jubilee
Erin Nangle ‘97, ‘98
Regina Zwaan Campo ‘78
Regina and John Campo
Mary Coffey*
Thomas Coffey
Throughout this past year, Mercy Volunteer
Corps has continued to increase the percentage
of expenses dedicated to our volunteer
programming and mission while lowering
the percentage of expenses designated for
administration and development.
Barbara Coyne
Lisa* and Patrick McGarry
Georgetown, Guyana
Regina and Tim Long
Betty and Tom Griffith* and
Family and Lisa Griffith, RSM
Rosemary Mason
Eleanor Guerin, RSM
50th Anniversary
Amy Hoey, RSM
Allison Hansgate ‘13
St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church
Angelita Heinrich, RSM
Alice and Philip Jones
Lisa ‘02, ‘03 and Ray Lamboy Christmas
Peg and Tom Glisson
Mercy Wings, Georgetown, Guyana
Bernardine and Michael Basile
Lisa McGarry’s* Birthday & Christmas
Barbara and Peter Coyne
NH Jubilarians
Amy Hoey, RSM
Christine Poletto ‘12
Ken Derry and Theresa Poletto
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Scanlan
Catherine MacLean ‘10
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Scanlan
Catherine MacLean ‘10
Kerry Weber* ‘04
Margaret and John Weber
Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH
Catherine MacLean ‘10
IN KIND
EXTENDING THE
Mary-Kate Begin ‘14
Denise Begin, RSM
Jessie Biser ‘14
Doris Biser
Lynesha Caron ‘14
Damiene Stewart
Christine Carrillo ‘14
Blanca Hutson
Vicki Vanderveen
Shannon Chisholm ‘14
Georgie Bahler
Rachel Boisselle
June Irvine
Michelle Laughran
Linda and Mark Madsen
Alexandria Metayer
Jennifer Quinn
Cristine Cirillo ‘14
Robert Daley
Gina Glass
Nicholas Culik ‘15
Martin Culik
Erin Dunne ‘14
Erin Dunne ‘14
Annie Golemboski ‘14
Zachary Aliberti
Garry Burry
Kim and Bill Daman
Paul and Nancy Deines
Deb and Ken DeLor
Adam Dietz
William L Fichteman
David & Brianna Golemboski/Copley
David & Karla Hein
Daniel Horan
Tom Kelly
James Lievre
Lauren O’Connor
Kathy & Larry Walker
Matthew Guiffre ‘14
Margaret Litwin
Alison Hansgate ‘13
Erin Casey
Barbara Sanborn
Judith Wobst
Kaytlin Heckler ‘14
Kaytlin Heckler ‘14
Emily Hindenburg ‘14
Karen and Richard Lopez
Vicki Vanderveen
Bianca Huerta ‘14, ‘15
Bridget Kelley* ‘09
Carol Mucha, RSM
Esther Sanborn
Mariah Iapicco ‘13, ‘14
Ghislaine and William Blomquist
Karen Cecil
Michele Collins
Nancy and Salvatore Daluise
Colleen Diveny
Dolores and Bertram Feinswog, DDS
Lillian and John Giordano
Lisa Glassford
Elizabeth Goss
H.F. Lyttle Associates LLC
Laura and David Hayward
David Herman
Debra Lee Iapicco
Pat Jacukiewicz
Linda James
Stephen McSherry
Debra Murphy
Debbie Popovich
The Rudnick Family
Karen Saad
Barbara Sabaitis
June and Morton Seligman
Jean and James Simes
Jackie and Paul Totilo
Heidi and Ken Zaentz
Alyssa Keller ‘14
Timothy Case
Benjamin Freeman
Alyssa Keller ‘14
Joshua Keller
Sara O’Neill
Kathleen Kelley ‘14
The Carlow Chronicle
Carrie Hanshaw
Marianna Koerner
Sara Meyer ‘14
Chris and Jim Antony
Paul & Jessica Hemenway
Deanna Johnson
Brad Jones
Carole Schultz
Frank Seebauer
Kristine and Barry Valk
Cindy and John Wuensch
Victoria Niedzielski ‘14
John Elie
Mary Frank
E. Roger Stephenson
HEALTHeLINK WNY
Maureen Paley ‘14
Ben Ashton
Sydney Blackett
Mary De Luna
Mary Ellen Demarais
Nancy and Robert Earl
Scott Krauthamer
Kathryn and James Lodato
Margaret Mair
Helen McKennon
Katie O’Brien
Bob Paley
Daniel Paley
Maureen Paley ‘14
James Regan
Sara Roser
Randy Salim
Jay Sarkar
Ellen and Andrew Schnur
CIRCLE DONORS
Suddhaseel Sen
Marian and Larry Snyder
Marcus Sowcik
Susan Walters
Carol and David Weyer
Aidan Whitehead
Jennifer Park ‘14
Dixilene and John Park
Karen Paz ‘14
Leah Avitabile
Janet Brown
Noel Cortes
Maurice Crawley
Nancy and Bill Hyatt
Monica Phillips ‘14
Debbie and Terry Abeyta
Gabriel Abeyta
Maria Abeyta-Garcia
Sandra and Nick Abeyta
Don & Sharron Berryman
Tony & Aurora Casados
Jonica and Joseph Castillo
Mario & Emily Chavez
Gene Christiansen
Toni Cunningham
Francis Dabice
Dorothy Galloway
Marcella Gomez
Howard & Cecila Grimes
Jeanne Olivas
Juanita Olivas
Deborah and Michael Phillips
Margaret Radtke
Mary and Steve Rendon
Miguel Sanchez, Sr.
Elizabeth and Michael Toelle
Ronaldo Tong
Sandra and Wayne Tyler
Amabel Ulibarri
Henry & Mabel Ulibarri
Josie Ulibarri-Perea
Shirley Vitale
Valerie Weiss
William Wylie
Alex Pierlott ‘14
Mary Pierlott
Rosemary Ryan, RSM
Quetzalli Rocha ‘14
Quetzalli Rocha ‘14
Xochitl Rocha ‘11
Rich Samartino ‘14
Karen Arthur
Loretta Doud
Michael Filano
Sylvia Horowitz
Jim Murphy
Andrea Samartino
Brent Samartino
June Samartino
Richard Samartino ‘14
Roger Samartino
Thomas Samartino, Sr.
Alisa Smith
Dixie Scruggs ‘13
Arlington Hills United
Methodist Church
Dixie Scruggs ‘13
Sonia Soto ‘14
Rosemary Ryan, RSM
Elena Westbrook
Jessica Sparks ‘14
Kathy Bailey
Tina Beard
Pie Bears
Julie Bollinger
Leanna Burckle
Erin Cantrell
Emily Holladay
Janie Lindsay
Janet Luckett
Mallory Luckett
Richard Medley
Nancy Miles
Drew Sparks
Gene Sparks
Julie and Gene Sparks
Jason Stengel
David Wilson
Mike Woods
Lauren Stokes ‘14
Deborah L Seaver
Lauren Stokes ‘14
Paul Stokes
Emily Woods
Lauren Tatanus ‘13, ‘14
Nancy Marchini
Mary Christel Nolan, RSM
Rosemary Ryan, RSM
Kate Ulfers ‘14, ‘15
Nancy Bremner
Ruth Hokenson, RSM
Frances and Stuart Ulfers
Meagan Usselman ‘14
Sylvia and Cliff Coleman
Donna and Gregory Frost
Amber Gaul, R.D.H.
Anneka Vanderveen ‘14
Natalie Bell
Jessica Hendel
Judy Kaiser
Jeannine Smith
Anneka Vanderveen ‘14
Vicki Vanderveen
Ella Walzer ‘14
Megan Carolin* ‘09
Grace Yi ‘14
Laura Kurata
Photos (left to right): New York City Community, Savannah Community
with their Support Team, Detroit and Erie Communities, Philadelphia
Community, Guyana Community, and Sacramento Community.
THE POWER OF COMPASSIONATE CARE
BY: MERCY VOLUNTEER JESSIE BISER ‘14, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Y
ou’re a 35 year old woman from a
corrupted and poverty-stricken
village in Mexico. You have three kids
with hungry bellies but not enough food
despite all your efforts. You’ve heard
all about the “American Dream” and
decide it is time for you to experience
it for yourself in order to support your
family. After a grueling trip, you arrive
in the U.S., a place glowing with big
buildings and fancy people who speak
a language you don’t quite understand.
Shortly after arriving, you become
sick, most likely from traveling in
close proximity to others. You arrive
at your appointment to find a doctor
who towers over you like a giant oak
tree and an interpreter who speaks
incomplete Spanish. After your general
exam, you begin to mention dizzy
spells you have been experiencing
recently but the doctor seems pressed
for time. You’re unsure what an “antiinflammatory” or “steroid injection” is
and don’t exactly understand how to
take your meds, but choose not to ask
any more questions to this overworked
doctor. You feel out of place, but remind
yourself that you came here for your
family you left behind in Mexico; they
need your help, so you envision them
and push forward.
Unfortunately, this is what immigrants
experience and it is more common
than we wish to believe. I know because
I have seen it while volunteering at
a free clinic in Savannah, GA. As
the interpreter, I notice the patient’s
uneasiness when the doctor rolls her
eyes after more than one complaint. I
see the provider standing in a power
stance as the patient cowers in the
corner timidly. I hear the terminology
used and witness the blank stares in
response. But the patients have no
other choice. Many Latinos flee their
country out of fear, hunger, poverty or
a combination of the three. Either way,
they come to improve their lives, but
when faced with healthcare, they have
nowhere to go. Our system is imperfect
and seems to create an uphill battle for
undocumented Hispanic citizens with
cultural barriers forming hurdles along
the way. The two cultural barriers that
were universal among patients I served
were language and health literacy.
Language is an obvious issue. If you
don’t speak the native language, how
are you going to express your health
concerns? Of course, you can use
an interpreter but you’re placing a
lot of trust and faith into a stranger
to efficiently communicate and
understand your problems. Unless
you have family or friends who can
speak English, you’re always relying
on a stranger to be your voice about
your own health. Language barriers
are the first contributor in a patient’s
removal from healthcare, literacy
being the second. Doctors commonly
use medical jargon that doesn’t make
much sense to anyone but themselves.
When you have language as an added
obstacle to literacy, it’s like giving these
patients braille and asking them to
read it with their hands tied behind
their back. It simply isn’t fair to send
them on such an obstructed path for
something as serious as their health.
To make matters worse, they’re too
intimidated to ask clarifying questions
to the doctor directly so they remain
in the dark about most of their care.
At this point, after stumbling over two
hurdles, the majority of the patients
are now twice removed from their
care, so distant from connecting with
the physician that the whole visit feels
almost useless to them. Without a
bilingual physician who will take time
to explain medical terminology to
patients, these problems persist.
This experience motivates me to
provide compassionate care to patients
in an open environment. It will remind
me, as a physician, to be empathetic,
understanding and to really find where
the patient stands in all aspects of their
life so I can meet them at their level. I
cannot change our healthcare system,
but I can change my interactions
with these individuals and advocate
for a higher quality of care for Latino
immigrants. My hope as a future
physician is to eliminate cultural
barriers by providing care to Hispanic
patients in a comfortable environment
where the patients feel they can express
their concerns freely without judgment.
Not only has the Lord called me to do
his service, but specifically to be his
hand and heart in medicine for those
who otherwise may not receive care.
Will you accept my differences?
The ones you see so clearly
Of language, ethnicity, and education
Contrasting those of your own
Shift your perspective and you’ll see
we’re the same
Experiencing pain, love, loss and joy
MVC IN NUMBERS
12
36
38
42
CITIES IN THE
UNITED STATES &
SOUTH AMERICA
YEARS OF
SERVICE IN THE
SPIRIT OF MERCY
SERVICE SITE
PLACEMENTS
VOLUNTEERS
SERVED IN
2014-2015
My knees wear bruises of forgiveness
My skin dressed in stains of suffering
For I have left my country, my home
Seeking your support and guidance
But instead I’m seen as rotten fruit
Unpleasant and useless
My hands reach for approval
My ears listen for hope
My heart screams for love
My eyes seek justice
My mouth remains shut
Because nobody can hear me
I’m willing to give you my hands
scarred with labor
To give my mind etched with
experience
To give my heart overflowing with
gratitude
The question is,
Are you willing to move past your
stigmas?
Are you willing to accept?
Poem written by Mercy Volunteer Jessie Biser
Photo: Mercy Volunteer Lauren Mifsud at
her service site, St. Peter’s School in San Francisco.
Mercy Volunteer Corps
1325 Sumneytown Pike
P.O. Box 901
Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437-0901
215.641.5535
www.mercyvolunteers.org
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO 776
OMAHA NE