December 22, 20202020 Year in ReviewWith your help, MSV was able to successfully navigate the challenges that 2020 brought. We raised over $400,000 for our COVID-19 Relief Fund, kept our food pantries open the entire year, and saw an increased participation in many programs. Read on to find out about some of the major milestones we reached together in 2020.
November 23, 2020Current COVID-19 Response PlanMarillac St. Vincent Family Services is closely monitoring the local impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and want to acknowledge that the disruption and uncertainty surrounding this situation is rather unsettling for all of us.
November 24, 2020The Meaning Behind the MSV Holiday TraditionsSnowmen hunts. Christmas caroling. Cooking. Fall leaves. The list of MSV’s staff favorite holiday traditions is as diverse as the staff itself, and with half a dozen holidays celebrated this time of year, there is no shortage of ways that we celebrate.
November 13, 2020The Importance of Fostering KindnessHappy World Kindness Day! Our world is made better by kindness, compassion, and empathy, which is why we work to instill these values in the children we serve. Here is a quick list of ways you can work to foster kindness in the children in your life any day of the year.
October 28, 202013th Annual Beacon of HopeOn Friday, October 23, Marillac St. Vincent Family Services successfully hosted its first major virtual event, Beacon of Hope. This year’s event focused on food insecurity in our community and raised over $120,000 for our communities.
October 20, 2020Stay Involved with MSV from HomeThere are plenty of ways to help move our mission forward that do not involve in person engagements. If you're looking to get involved with MSV and build a stronger Chicago from the comfort of your couch, this is the list for you.
October 8, 2020How to Advocate for SeniorsWe regularly hear people wanting to be helpful to those around them. One of the best ways you can help MSV is by advocating for our communities and our clients. We thought we would make it easy by breaking it down and explaining exactly how you can be an advocate for seniors.
September 28, 2020Fall Family Fun From a DistanceThe leaves are changing and so is the weather, but there is still time to have some socially distanced family fun. Check out this list brought to you by the family and youth experts at MSV to find activities and events that will keep you and the children in your life engaged.
September 15, 2020Creativity in MotionFormer MSV art instructor and current art student, Isissia Drake, lives creativity every day. This summer she brought her talents back to MSV to guide a group of Hope Jr. youth in creating a powerful mural for our community garden.
September 14, 2020MSV Welcomes New Board MembersIt is with great pleasure that Marillac St. Vincent announces the addition of four new members to our Board of Trustees. Chatigny Imburgia, Anne Meara, Mia Jiganti, and Kieran Fearon come to MSV with a variety of backgrounds and professional experience and we welcome them to the MSV family.
August 24, 2020Committed to Our Core Values SeriesWhat do excellence, creativity, respect, empowerment, advocacy, respect, and integrity have in common? Each one is a core value of Marillac St. Vincent Family Services. We are excited to announce our Committed to Our Core Value Series where we will take a deeper look into how MSV lives out these core values every day.
August 11, 2020Parent Support Groups Grow During PandemicIn March, the Family Support teams at Marillac Social Center and St. Vincent de Paul Center were faced
with a major question; how do we provide support for parents if we can’t host onsite support groups?
The West Side and North Side centers have organized parent support groups for years, inviting families
to join several times a month to learn about child development and engage in family activities.
July 30, 2020Teen Summer Program Goes VirtualOne Summer Chicago "Chicagoability" connects youth to a successful future through hands on training and summer jobs. The program provides short-term employment opportunities for young people and MSV was awarded 30 slots for teens for the second year in a row.
July 23, 2020Nearly New is Newly OpenNearly New Thrift Shop has opened its doors once again since closing in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Stop by the store and check out our new merchandise today!
July 17, 2020Must-Reads by Authors of ColorLooking for a list of children's books and young adult novels by some amazing Black and POC authors? Well look no further! Whether you are looking to help the young people in your life connect to their identity or merely share the experiences of Black or POC characters, these are great reads to add to your summer reading list.
July 8, 2020Summer Activities for Youth from a DistanceSummer is upon us and while we must be careful to social distance and wear masks, it is also important that we indulge in fun activities too. That is why MSV has created a list of fun, social-distance-friendly summer activities for youth. There is still plenty to do, even during quarantine, and we hope that you find some enjoyable activities on this list to help keep you busy!
June 29, 2020Centers Reopen After Months of ShutdownSince the rise of COVID-19, MSV has gone to great lengths to maintain the safety of all staff and clients. Following 15 weeks of being mostly shutdown, our centers have reopened with limited capacity for most of our programs and services.
June 29, 2020Racial Justice and a Way Forward at MSVThe Marillac St. Vincent community, like much of the country, is still reeling after the murder of George Floyd. Staff, clients, and supporters are coming together to now to ask, how do we as an organization move forward?
May 26, 2020Moving Forward TogetherAs our Reopening Task Force dives deep into the hard work of developing a safe, effective, flexible, and trauma-informed strategy for resuming services we are reminded how we are blessed with the wisdom of our founders, the support of our donors and the creative compassion of our entire MSV family.
May 10, 2020Volunteer Spotlight: Meet EddieWe had the opportunity to sit down with Eddie, one of our amazing food pantry volunteers, to find out a little bit more about him and his experiences volunteering with MSV.
April 30, 2020Giving Tuesday NowSummer at Marillac St. Vincent is always a time to look forward to. Our centers come alive in a flurry of activity as we take advantage of the warmer weather. This year things look different.
March 24, 2020Senior Food DeliverySeniors in Marillac St. Vincent’s network rely on the home delivery initiative for food through the agency’s Senior Services program as part of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic response plan.
March 20, 2020New Health & Nutrition Program The Eating for Life pilot was officially launched in early 2020 and aims to build individual skills and knowledge around cooking, nutrition, budgeting, meal planning, and healthy choices to improve quality of life.
February 27, 2020Tax Strategies for Charitable ContributionsMany supporters of Marillac St. Vincent Family Services know they can deduct donations to charity from their income taxes but increasing your knowledge of tax planning strategies can maximize your giving impact and potential tax savings. Check out these easy tips.