Specific Needs
Misericordia has many on-going needs to support the high quality service provided to all of our residents. On a day to day basis, the funds we receive from the State of Illinois cover basic room and board costs for our residents, they cover only a small portion of the expenses of the exceptional programs that enhance their lives. At the present time the difference between what the State pays us and our actual program expenses is $17 million per year. Therefore, we depend on raising private funds to provide these special programs.
When a program is deemed necessary for the well being of our residents, we provide it whether or not it is fully funded by the State. For example, intervention by physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists is essential for many of our residents. With the help of grants from private foundations we established a state-of-the-art therapy center and hired professional staff to perform therapy services. It is our hope that these interventions will one day be fully funded by the government. However, we appeal to our friends for assistance until then because our residents cannot wait for the therapy they need.
As Misericordia continues to grow and the needs of our resident population change, we continue to have many additional needs that remain unsatisfied. Our approach to these major expenditures whether they are capital projects or new programs is to first raise the funding to support them before incurring any expenses.
Future Important Needs
There are a number of unsatisfied needs where support is required. These include:
Donovan Dental Clinic
Through the very generous donation of Thomas and Vita Donovan, Misericordia was able to establish a dental clinic on campus which included funds to support the salaries of the dentists and hygienists for the initial start up years. Additional support is required to fully endow the salaries of the dentists and hygenists.
Expanded Outreach Program
Through a very successful paddle raise at one of our events Misericordia was able to receive committed funding to expand the outreach program by over 50%. This expanded program will serve individuals during the day time hours that have reached their 22nd birthdays and are no longer eligible for state services through their school districts. We have many children in need of this program whose families do not have the resources to pay the monthly tuition fee of $1,200. We are in need of funds to either sponsor a child and/or to endow a scholarship for future children's tuition payment. Click here to learn more about our outreach programs.
Transportation Vehicles
We operate a number of vehicles for transporting our residents to community events, Dr. appointments, grocery shopping, etc. These vehicles are high use and need replacement on a regular basis. Please consider purchasing a new vehicle. The typical cost is $25,000 - 30,000 depending where it will be used.
Handicapped Equipped Van
Recycling
For many years Misericordia has provided a recycling program for our residents. We have used this program to extensively throughout the Misericordia campus and Cila's. We believe we have an opportunity to start a recycling business and to expand our services to the local community. This would create a number of additional jobs for our residents and allow us to profit from this new business. We are in need of an overall sponsor to launch this new endeavor.
Sponsor a Resident
Approximately 20% of our residents either have no families or have families living at the poverty level. Currently, Misericordia needs to raise $30,000 per resident to support the deficit from what they State pays and what it costs to care for our residents. We are always in need of sponsors for those individuals to reduce the cost to Misericordia.
Some recent examples of needs already satisfied are:
Quinlan Terrace
Through a major capital campaign, with an anchor donation by George and Marie Quinlan, Misericordia was able to secure funding to build 4 new homes and endow the annual cost increase to provide residential support for the aging population. There are now 60 residential placements that provide service to our aging adult population in a much improved setting. Click here to learn more about Quinlan Terrace.
Donovan Dental Clinic
Through the very generous donation of Thomas and Vita Donovan, Misericordia was able to establish a dental clinic on campus which included the startup funds to support the salaries of the dentists and hygienists for an initial period of time.
Expanded Outreach Program
Through a very successful paddle raise at one of our events Misericordia was able to receive committed funding to expand the outreach program by over 50%. This expanded program will serve individuals during the day time hours that have reached their 22nd birthdays and are no longer eligible for state services through their school districts. On going operations are funded by monthly tuition fees. Click here to learn more about our outreach programs.
Bakery Truck
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Misericordia has for years, had a thriving bakery shop. Baked goods are sold on-line and shipped all over the country. This programs provides job opportunities for our residents and added income to offset our annual operating shortfall. Through the generous support of one of our donors, we were able to purchase a bakery truck that can create additional sales and opportunities for our residents by selling baked goods throughout the city of Chicago. It will have the added benefit to provide Misericordia additional exposure to our community. Click here to visit our bakery.
If you are in a position to provide support to any of these areas please click here and designate your area of interest (need to add this to our drop down menu)
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your interests with our development office, please contact:
-Kevin Connelly
Assistant Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer
Kevin @ Misericordia.com/773-273-4167