The Catherine McAuley Society at Mercy Hospital
In the spring of 2006 when Stephanie Weber, Executive Director of the Friends of Mercy Foundation, brought her idea for a new women’s annual giving society to longtime community advocates and foundation board members, Sharon Bush and Pat Campbell, their first response was “why didn’t we do this years ago?”
“The vision and focus this kind of group would bring to our community was undeniable,” says Sharon. “Women are such a powerful force – and to come together with one voice on behalf of Mercy Hospital was something I just couldn’t pass up.”
And that is how the Catherine McAuley Society at Mercy Hospital’s of Bakersfield was established.
The society takes its name from Catherine McAuley who founded the Sisters of Mercy in the mid-nineteenth century in Dublin, Ireland to care for the sick and poverty stricken. Catherine was a visionary who encouraged the women of Dublin’s elite society to “rub shoulders” with the poor, thereby instilling a sense of charity and compassion never before seen in polite society. A new kind of philanthropy had been born.
In honor of Catherine’s lasting legacy, invitations were issued and by the fall of 2006 over 55 of Bakersfield’s most influential women had joined the Friends of Mercy Foundation’s Catherine McAuley Society as charter members, dedicated to positively impacting Mercy Hospital and the surrounding community.
At the heart of these women lies the belief that the efforts of a collective group of leaders are far more powerful than the individual efforts of one. So annual membership dues were combined giving the group $55,000 to direct to the Mercy Hospital projects most meaningful to them and most aligned with the spirit of Catherine McAuley’s vision.
It came as no surprise when members voted to fund nursing education for Mercy Hospital as the society’s inaugural project for support. Catherine dedicated much of her life’s work to the education of women and children, making the project a natural choice. As a result, in November of 2007, 18 students pursuing a career in nursing were awarded financial scholarships to assist with the remainder of their schooling. Recipients were comprised of both Mercy employees and single parents from the community.
“It was very important to us to support students for their entire education, rather than with a one-time award,” says Sister Judy Morasci, Catherine McAuley Society Member and Vice President of Mission Integration for Mercy Hospitals. “Of course we wanted to provide Mercy with much-needed nurses, but at the same time we also wanted to make a real difference in the lives of these people and their families…because when you help a family the entire community benefits. I think we’ve achieved our goal.”
The 2007-2008 year brought over twenty new members to the Catherine McAuley Society, with the membership currently standing at 80 and counting. The group meets three times a year at special luncheon events and in March they were presented with a variety of funding proposals – this time with almost $80,000 in philanthropic funds to direct – where they once again voted on a Mercy Hospital project that impacts and enriches lives beyond the hospital walls…and they think Catherine would have approved.
“Remember, Mercy Hospital was founded by the Sister’s of Mercy in Bakersfield almost a hundred years ago,” says Pat Campbell. “That’s a special legacy. And as members of the Catherine McAuley Society it’s one we hold dear.”
For more information or to become a member of the Catherine McAuley Society, please contact the Friends of Mercy Foundation at (661) 663-6700.
