2013 - September - Newsletter - Mercy Neighborhood Ministries

Mercy Matters
www.mercyneighborhoodministries.org
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Each year on September 24, Sisters of Mercy
celebrate Mercy Day with their Associates,
Companions, Volunteers and Co-Ministers
throughout the world. On this day in 1827, the
first House of Mercy was opened on Baggot
Street in Dublin, Ireland by Catherine McAuley
and her associates. The large building
comprised a school for the poor, an orphanage,
and a hostel and training center for vulnerable
young women who worked, or sought work, to
support themselves and their families.
Catherine was a firm
believer in assisting women to attain selfsufficiency. She and her community members
created opportunities for such throughout Ireland
and beyond. As a sponsored ministry of the
Sisters of Mercy, MNM has inherited this mission.
The story on page two is a great example of our
response to the need for training and employment
assistance for disadvantaged women in our own
time. Not only does it help bring financial
stability, but it also begins to break the cycle of
poverty one family at a time. By modeling the
value of education and work, mothers are changing
the course of life for their children. It is a slow
process, but one that it so critical in our contemporary society.
One day last week, a GED student
stopped me to say how safe and
welcome she felt coming to MNM
for school. I thanked her and then
asked, “But most importantly, are
you learning anything?” She laughed
and said, “Oh, yes! I am learning
more than ever because everyone
really cares and works hard to help
us learn. I am going to make it this
time. I know it!”
It is a privilege to participate in such a direct way in Catherine’s mission of
empowerment for poor women and their children. I think she would be
very pleased with, and grateful for, our commitment to the fulfillment of her
vision. May she watch over and bless us always.
Blessings,
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September, 2013
Taste of the
Neighborhood
Noon to 3 PM Oct. 27
Mark plans to attend MNM’s
annual Taste of the Neighborhood
at Purcell Marian High School.
Nibble tasty treats from Eli’s BBQ,
Skyline, Eat Well Café, Kitchen
452, the BonBonerie, Brew
House, Parkside Café, Little
Ceasars Pizza, Giminetti’s and
others while being entertained by
the popular Circus Mojo and bluegrass band Northbound Motion.
We’ve gathered awesome items
for our silent auction, gift certificate wall, and basket raffle. Kids’
activities include a scavenger hunt,
craft activities, and a costume
parade. And it’s FREE. Bring your
family and friends or you’ll be
frightfully sorry you missed it!
Buy It Now!
Starting October 1, purchase
one or more of our amazing
Taste of the Neighborhood gift
baskets! Simply click
http://bit.ly/Hyy9jr
and follow the directions on
our Home page to shop. It’s a
great way to start your holiday
shopping and raise needed
funds for MNM!
Mercy Neighborhood Ministries
1602 Madison Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45206
Editor: Linda Walker
513-751-2500 ext. 204
MNM + Impact 100 Cincinnati—Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Editor’s Note: In September, 2012, Mercy
Neighborhood Ministries received one of
two prestigious grants awarded by Impact
100 Cincinnati. The article below is reprinted with permission from the summary
of their grant investment. *Subject’s name
has been changed to protect privacy.
In 1993, Kiana* was a little girl living
with her mother and other siblings in
a homeless shelter in Cincinnati. After
her mom completed training and
began working as a home care aide
through Healing Connections
Associates (now Mercy Neighborhood
Impact 100 Cincinnati members (front row left to right) Anne Marie Henkel, Sharon
Ministries “MNM”), they moved into
Mitchell, Barb Trimble, and Sally Nugent celebrate the success of HCAT graduates.
subsidized housing. For the next 15
work hard.” Her mother’s role
The return on investment made by
years, Kiana watched her mom work
modeling, MNM’s excellent training
Impact 100 goes beyond numbers of
to support her family and this year,
opportunity, and generous partners women directly impacted by the
the fruit of that role modeling came
like Impact 100 helped change the
training program. MNM’s expanding
to bear.
course of Kiana’s life and, through
reputation for excellence and
Kiana came to MNM in Fall 2012 to
her care, she has positively impacted expertise led to an invitation to
apply for the Home Care Aide Training
the lives of her elderly clients.
participate in a statewide initiative to
(HCAT) program. Staff assessed she
Now Kiana is a role model for her
standardize curriculum, develop core
was ill-prepared to participate in the
children and the cycle of poverty
competencies, and create stackable
vigorous job training program and
has begun to change.
credentials or the direct service workrecommended she first complete
Kiana’s story is similar to the other ers throughout Ohio.
Building Foundations for Life (BFL),
MNM’s 12-week work readiness
“For those who want to know why I’m involved with a group like
program. Kiana agreed and was an
exemplary student. She worked hard Impact 100 Cincinnati, check out the graduation photo (above) from
Mercy Neighborhood Ministries. Eleven women will start their careers
to overcome the many barriers to
as home care aides in part because of the work we do.”
success.
Upon her BFL graduation, Kiana
—Lisa Kaminski, Impact 100 member
was accepted into HCAT where
she received high accolades from
women who have had the benefit of
MNM’s HCAT program. The Impact 100
instructors despite a 4th-5th grade
grant not only expanded MNM’s
literacy level. In January 2013, she
attained employment as a home care capacity to offer this program to more
aide with MNM and fully engaged with women, it enabled MNM to implement
research-based best practices that
the orientation support offered as
increased graduation rates to 94% in
part of the Impact 100 grant.
Kiana has maintained employment this at-risk population. An expanding
for the past seven months, progres- network of home care employer
partners consistently gives positive
sively increasing her client hours
feedback about the quality of the
and complexity of care. She’s now
the aide of choice for some of MNM’s program graduates and they work
closely with MNM staff to improve
most challenging clients. Kiana is
loved by her elderly clients and is of- job retention in an industry struggling
with turnover rates as high as 60% to
ten heard saying, “I know how to do
that because my teachers taught me
100%.
good and my Mama showed me how to
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