Mount Mercy College was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1928 with a mission to provide an education grounded in service to those in need. Today the college staff, faculty and student volunteers are providing a myriad of support services to businesses in need of space and assistance in continuing normal operations.

“This situation was not unanticipated. Months before the flood, Mount Mercy partnered with Involta to implement plans and processes to help area businesses recover from disasters of any kind,” said Barb Pooley, vice president of finance and business operations for the college. “An ethic of community service is a key component of the education we strive to provide. We feel this service is consistent with that ethic. Mount Mercy’s reaction to the catastrophic flooding is a powerful example of the college’s mission to serve those in need. Working with Involta and housing these businesses is not a diversion of our mission, but a sad fulfillment of it."

Businesses have been located in classroom in Basile Hall. Mount Mercy summer session classes are continuing in other campus buildings. In addition to classroom space, businesses have been given access to telephones, network connectivity and technical support services to help make being displaced from normal business locations as painless as possible.

“I can't begin to thank the administration of Mount Mercy College for the support they have given my law firm during this recent disaster,” said Tim White, President of White & Johnson, PC of Cedar Rapids and a Mount Mercy Board of Trustees member. “Not only did the college immediately provide us with wonderful and comfortable space, but it additionally provided communication access so necessary to our business through the auspices of Involta. Through this joint effort we were up and running in a matter of hours."

“Disaster recovery and business continuity planning are an increasingly important part of any organization’s success,” said Rob Smith chief marketing officer for Involta. “Mount Mercy is a key contributor to our effort to help businesses plan for and survive any disaster.”
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The Core Leadership Team will lead over 1,200 Red Cross volunteers in Iowa helping with flood relief. The team had previously been staying at the University of Northern Iowa but is relocating to Mount Mercy in order to be housed closer to their Disaster Response Site at Westdale Mall.

Throughout the flood relief efforts Mount Mercy has housed more than 600 Air and Army National Guard members and law enforcement officers who were deployed to the area. Approximately 100 Mount Mercy staff, faculty, and students volunteered 3,600 hours to provide a myriad of support services - both visible and behind the scenes - to ensure the groups were able to perform their duties without interruption or distraction. Mount Mercy volunteers were scheduled in shifts on campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to offer technical and logistical support including communications, laundry and sanitary services, food delivery, switchboard duties, and facilitation of supplies.

“The continual flood relief efforts organized by Mount Mercy volunteers and the housing of organizations aiding in the efforts on our campus highlight the values of gratitude and hospitality upon which Mount Mercy prides itself,” says Pooley. “The catastrophic flooding in Cedar Rapids has helped the Mount Mercy community realize that we all have a common bond – it’s about community and community-building,”

Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Mount Mercy College is a vibrant co-educational Catholic institution offering baccalaureate and graduate education to more than 1,500 enrolled students. Mount Mercy uniquely blends liberal arts education with professional preparation, and encourages its students to strive for excellence through service to the common good, strategic communication, reflective judgment, and purposeful living.
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“Mount Mercy knows the important of community involvement and assisting friends and neighbors in need,” says Pooley. “We are proud to be able to assist the National Guard, and our faculty, staff, and students stand ready to do whatever we can to help with the Flood of 2008.”

Mount Mercy has a strong history of helping those in need. The Sisters of Mercy, founders of Mount Mercy, arrived in Cedar Rapids over 100 years ago and established ministries that addressed needs of indigent people. In 1924 the Sisters founded Mount Mercy Academy, which today is Mount Mercy College. The institution remains focused on educating students and instilling in them a passion and calling to serve the common good and help where help is most needed.

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Mount Mercy Campus Again Offering Help to Community
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (June 11, 2008) – Mount Mercy College President Christopher Blake has again encouraged members of the Mount Mercy campus community to assist with volunteer efforts to aid those residents of Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas who are affected by rising flood waters. This morning multiple groups of Mount Mercy students, faculty and staff are traveling to Palo to assist with flood relief efforts.

“The legacy of the Sisters of Mercy is as fresh and meaningful as it was nearly 80 years ago when Mount Mercy was founded by the Sisters. We are called to the service of others and a commitment to community support,” says Blake. “The fact that our campus community – which has been untouched by the ravaging waters – is so willing to be involved in flood relief efforts is a testament to that calling.”

The City of Palo is asking for volunteers to assist in the flood relief efforts. Interested people should call Palo City Hall at 319-851-2731.

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Mount Mercy Campus Community Helping with Flood Relief
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (June 10, 2008) – In keeping with the mission of Mount Mercy College, this afternoon President Christopher Blake encouraged college employees to show support for communities affected by flooding by volunteering to assist with flood relief. A group of Mount Mercy faculty and staff, along with their families, are spending this afternoon and evening at the Cedar Rapids Public Works building, 1201 16th Street S.W., assisting in any way necessary, including filling sandbags.

“Mount Mercy was founded in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy and we are committed to service,” says Blake. “Our students, faculty and staff are devoted to serving the common good and helping those in need.”

The City of Cedar Rapids is asking for volunteers to help fill sandbags at Public Works. The volunteer operation will operate 24 hours a day until Friday. Interested people should call 319-286-5555 to sign up for a two-hour shift, or go to the Public Works building at 1201 6th Street. SW, enter on the 4th Street side.

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