Now you can "friend" Mercy Works on Facebook!

The Mercy Works program has been established within the Office of Campus Ministry to reflect and enhance our commitment to the Mercy tradition of service to society. Our goal is to connect the talents of GMC students with people in need in our wider community, as well as to offer students opportunities to reflect on their experience of service. 
As participants engage in service and encounter people who are poor and marginalized, we hope that they will SEE~FEEL~THINK~ACT, deepening their ability to identify and respond to the needs of their time.

"By her courageous, contagious love for the poor, Catherine McAuley connected the rich to the poor, the healthy to the sick, the educated and skilled to the uninstructed . . . to do the work of God on earth" (Tender Courage). Through the Mercy Works program, Campus Ministry at GMC strives to be faithful to Catherine's legacy.

Specific Mercy Works projects are listed below.  To find other volunteer opportunities near Gwynedd-Mercy College, you can view a map of our community partners (local non-profit organizations), by clicking on our Google Map, or search a database of non-profits throughout Montgomery County, PA by visiting the Info Link PA site.

Ongoing Mercy Work programs include:

Lamb Foundation: Mondays, 1-3 p.m.
Students visit the Lamb Foundation in North Wales weekly to socialize and play games with residents with mild mental impairments. Transportation is available. If you'd like to volunteer, contact Mercy Works Scholars-in-Service Steven Rufe at rufe.s@gmc.edu.

Mercy Mentors: Thursdays 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Students from Gwynedd-Mercy College spend time with adolescent youth residing at St. Mary’s Villa for Children and Families in Ambler, to develop mentoring relationships during the school year. Training is provided in the September, but new members are always welcome. GMC students are asked to commit to this program for the entire school year in order to provide stable relationships for the youth.  For more information contact Quinny Moore.

Cradles to Crayons: Fridays, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Cradles to Crayons in Conshohocken provides (free of charge) low-income and homeless children from birth to pre-teen the basic essentials they need to be safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued.  C2C partners with social-service organizations in the Philadelphia area to connect communities that have surplus resources—new or used items in good condition—with communities that desperately need access to those resources. GMC students spend two hours every Friday afternoon sorting donations and selecting appropriate, quality supplies for partiuclar children.  Even though you may never meet the child whose backpack you pack, it is a very rewarding experience!  To volunteer contact Steven Rufe.

Greenhouse Project

Behind Visitation House, an old greenhouse has been restored; we are growing vegetables to benefit Manna on Main Street.  To try out your green thumb, contact Brandon Edgett.

Habitat for Humanity
Mercy Works sponsors various opportunities for Gwynedd-Mercy College students to get involved with the Montgomery County chapter of Habitat for Humanity. HFH workdays are known for being fulfilling and rewarding experiences, therefore volunteer spots are in high demand. Please sign up early! Stay tuned for dates.  To volunteer contact Taylor Gardner or Jennifer Rothenheber.

Manna on Main Street, Lansdale PA
Manna on Main is a local organization that serves poor and hungry residents in the area. Mercy Works volunteers are needed to prepare meals at Visitation House and to serve them at Manna. Stay tuned for dates, or contact Betsy Stone Plummer.

Mercy 4 Justice
Students and interested faculty/staff focus on a variety of justice issues, from Darfur to fair trade, environmental awareness and human trafficking.  Interested?  Contact Kristin Martino or Tony DeGennaro.

GMC Holiday Outreach
Students collect food and gifts for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays for families who otherwise would not be able to celebrate the season.  The Giving Tree, which encourages students, faculty and staff to provide gifts for participants in Mercy Neighborhood Ministries' programs in North Philadelphia, is located in St. Bernard's Lobby in late November; gifts must be returned in the first week of December.

Students for the Mercy of Animals

Do you have a soft spot for God's four-legged friends?  Students for the Mercy of Animals volunteer at the Norristown Zoo, and run an annual blanket & pet supply drive for local shelters.  Other project ideas are welcome; contact Brian Eichler to get involved.

Disaster Relief
When tragedy strikes at home or abroad, Mercy Works coordinates GMC's disaster relief efforts. Click here to read about our response to the earthquake in Haiti.

ALTERNATIVE BREAK TRIPS

Mercy Works sponsoreds Alternative Break trips during Winter and Spring Breaks.  These service-immersion experiences are part of GMC's commitment to the Mercy tradition of service to society.  Students, faculty and staff who participate in these trips have a desire to serve others, to learn more about poverty and social justice, to grow in their Mercy identity and spirituality, and to reflect on their experiences together as a community.  2010-2011 trips include:

• Alternative Winter Break:  Philadelphia & Montgomery County
  Includes housing at Cranaleith Spiritual Center

• Alternative Spring Break: Baltimore MD, New York NY & Cincinnati OH
  

Applications will be available right before Fall Break, and will be due November 8.

Questions?  Contact Betsy Stone Plummer, 215-641-5592. 

ASB Team New Orleans 09 returning home

Alternative Spring Break 2009:

Stories & Photos

Click above to get a taste of ASB 2009!

Any student or faculty/staff member who would like to find--or establish--a service opportunity should contact Betsy Stone Plummer, Mercy Works Program Administrator at 215-641-5592 (x592 on campus) or plummer.b@gmc.edu .

For more info or to sign up, Contact
Mercy Works 215-641-5592 or on campus: x592 or x128
or email: plummer.b@gmc.ed