Congratulations to Sister Rosemary Connelly and our friends at Misericordia Heart of Mercy on their fundraising efforts!

The 37th Heart of Mercy Ball was held at the Hilton Chicago on Nov. 9 with over 800 guests in attendance. The event raised more than $1 million for Misericordia, which since its founding in 1921, has provided comprehensive support and services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on its 31-acre campus in the West Rogers Park neighborhood.

The event celebrated Sister Rosemary Connelly’s 50th anniversary as Misericordia’s executive director and her 70th year as a Sister of Mercy. The fundraiser included moving awards presentations, a silent and live auction, and a very special performance by the Misericordia Heartbreakers.

During a reception in the Grand Ballroom, guests perused a silent auction filled with artwork created by residents in the Misericordia Art Activity Group Program, in collaboration with staff and volunteers. Pieces included colorful paintings, ceramic friendship bowls, hand-painted furniture and more. Sweets from the nonprofit’s Hearts & Flour Bakery were also on offer.

During the dinner program, emceed by Lou Manfredini, Women’s Board president Bennetta Kelly welcomed the crowd and spoke lovingly of Connelly’s long history of service with Misericordia that began in 1969. She asked past honorees, board members, ball chairs and committee members to stand and be recognized.

Lisa Masucci, ball chair, presented the Heart of Mercy Award to Carolyn Noonan Parmer, thanking her for two decades of support. Parmer, along with her late husband, John, became involved with Misericordia in 1999 when her niece Mary came for residential care.

The Tom and Ann Higgins family was the recipient of the Sister Rosemary Service Medallion Award. Son Peter Higgins accepted the award on the family’s behalf and spoke about his sister Mary, who has been a resident since 1998. “When Mary was born, we learned that she had Down syndrome, which at the time was unknown and a little scary. But my mom and dad were thrilled and always told us, ‘God gives special people to special people.’ She’s a gift in our family,” he said.

The Pillars of the Community Award was presented to The Lock Up Self Storage, a family-owned and -operated company founded by Bob Soudan. When daughter Carolyn became a Misericordia resident in 1974, the family became actively involved. Lock Up’s Soudan and Hielscher families were honored for their longtime support and service that includes serving as sponsors of Misericordia’s Family Fest, Artist in All and many other fundraising events for the organization.

The Misericordia Heartbreakers, along with David Sherman and Ken Arlen’s Front of House Band, sang and danced to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in honor of Connelly. A video, set to Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” highlighted Connelly’s long history with the home.

Connelly said, “I’m certain few people have ever received, on a daily basis, the greetings of love that are mine every day and have been for so many years. What a gift I’ve had. … The 600 children and adults who call Misericordia home can’t create a good world for themselves, but we all know, once that world is theirs, they become the gift-givers. They are happy people and intuitively seem to know how much God loves them.”

She added, “Even though all of our residents are developmentally disabled and some physically challenged as well, they surely know how to love and be loved.”

While Misericordia is operated by the Sisters of Mercy under the auspices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, which provided the property upon which Misericordia stands, its programs, renovations and new buildings are made possible through private fundraising. “If we depended solely on the government, we certainly would not be the home we are today,” Connelly said. The home has 300 families on a waiting list.

Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved in many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.

More coverage: Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace’s website at www.candidcandace.com, or follow her on Twitter @CandidCandace.

 

Tags

Contact Us

Contact Access Elevator

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.