When there is a need in the community, even a “baby” one, Mount Mercy students meet it. In keeping with the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, students who reside in collegeowned housing are encouraged to participate in a service project. Junior Mikael DeVilbiss, a Resident Assistant (RA) from Ossian, Iowa, did not need prompting to fulfill the request. With her guidance, the women of 5th floor Regina Hall spearheaded an initiative that led to the donation of more than 300 blankets to St. Luke’s Hospital and Mercy Medical Center. The initiative gave new meaning to the phrase “warm fuzzies.”
“I know other people have helped me out in my life without expecting payment, and this is just one way to pay it back,” says DeVilbiss. “It’s always a good feeling to know that someone is doing better because of what the girls on my floor have done.”
The students engaged the entire campus in their endeavors, sponsoring donation buckets at several campus locations until they had accumulated more than $500 in donations, which allowed them to purchase enough fleece to make more than 300 blankets. DeVilbiss and her hallmates assembled the fleece into blankets, cutting and tying ribbons into the edges.
“Service is the underlying theme in just about everything that happens on the Hill, whether a student is actively seeking service projects, participating in a club, or just living in the residence halls,” DeVilbiss says. “Everyone is encouraged to serve in any way he or she can.”
