McAuley Ministries celebrates 10 years of grant making & caring for the community: 2008-2018

MEDIA ADVISORY / REQUEST FOR COVERAGE

WHO:  McAuley Ministries leadership and Board of Directors; the Sisters of Mercy; and dozens of community partners and organizations who serve the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland neighborhoods in Pittsburgh

WHAT:  McAuley Ministries, Pittsburgh Mercy’s grant-making foundation, will mark 10 years of grant-making in support of neighborhoods that are safe, vibrant, and celebrated, and where residents are healthy and enabled to reach their full potential, with a 10th anniversary celebration and meet and greet for its community partners. This event is by invitation.

WHEN:  Thursday, October 18, 2018, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Schedule:

• 5:30 p.m.

Welcome, introduction of founding and current McAuley Ministries trustees, and remarks by Michele Rone Cooper, executive director, McAuley Ministries

• 5:40 p.m.

Blessing by Sister Susan Welsh, RSM, president & CEO, Pittsburgh Mercy and chairperson, McAuley Ministries Board of Directors

WHERE:

Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium
Kaufmann Center at the Hill House Association
1825 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

WHY:  McAuley Ministries is named for Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, who used her inheritance to open a house of mercy to minister to the poor, sick, and uneducated, especially women and children.

When faced with the difficult decision to sell their beloved Mercy Hospital in 2007, the Sisters of Mercy came together to determine how they would invest the proceeds from the sale. Similar to the decision that Catherine faced when deciding how to use her inheritance, the sale provided the Sisters of Mercy with a unique opportunity for a new ministry. Rather than investing the proceeds from the sale in their own community of women religious, the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy intentionally chose to invest in the long-term health and well-being of the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland, three communities they have served generously and faithfully in the 175 years since their arrival in Pittsburgh on December 21, 1843. These neighborhoods, collectively known as “the Mercy Corridor,” remain a geographic priority for McAuley Ministries’ grant-making initiatives.

This selfless, courageous decision by the Sisters of Mercy led them to establish McAuley Ministries. The founding Board of Directors – all Sisters of Mercy – hired Michele Rone Cooper as executive director, established bylaws, obtained 501(c)3 status, hosted important community conversations with neighborhood residents to assess their needs, and identified grant-making priorities.

McAuley Ministries awarded its first set of grants in 2008 on the cusp of the Great Recession. Since 2008, and through October 10, 2018, McAuley Ministries has awarded 656 grants and community support totaling more than $28.5 million. In mid-October, the grant-making foundation will award another round of outreach grants. Grant recipients and award amounts will be announced in late fall.

Learn more about McAuley Ministries, its grant-making priorities, 10 years of grant making, and recent grants awarded at www.mcauleyministries.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE TO MEDIA: This event is by invitation. To cover this event, kindly RSVP to Linda K. Ross or Zandy Dudiak by October 17.

About McAuley Ministries

Named in honor of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, McAuley Ministries is the grant-making foundation of Pittsburgh Mercy. Established in 2008 and celebrating 10 years of grant making in 2018, McAuley Ministries serves as a catalyst for change, committing resources and working collaboratively to promote healthy, safe, and vibrant communities. Grant-making priorities include health and wellness; community and economic development; education; and capacity-building initiatives for nonprofit organizations which focus on the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland, communities historically served by the Sisters of Mercy. McAuley Ministries also provides support to organizations that are sponsored by and/or affiliated with the Sisters. McAuley Ministries is one the largest philanthropic foundations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Since 2008, it has awarded 656 grants and community support totaling more than $28.5 million. It awards approximately $3 million in grants annually. Lists of grants awarded by year are available at www.mcauleyministries.org.

About Pittsburgh Mercy

Pittsburgh Mercy, a member of Trinity Health, serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, is   a person-centered, population-based, trauma-informed community health and wellness provider. Pittsburgh Mercy, home to the region’s only Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, is also one of the largest nonprofit organizations and employers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Mercy includes Bethlehem Haven, McAuley Ministries, Pittsburgh Mercy Behavioral Health, Pittsburgh Mercy Community Health, Pittsburgh Mercy Intellectual Disabilities Services, the Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program, Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net®, and Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center. Together, these Pittsburgh Mercy programs and their 1,700 employees serve more than 33,000 individuals annually at 60+ locations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. To learn more about Pittsburgh Mercy, or to make a donation in support of its important work in the community, visit www.pittsburghmercy.org.