Forever Grateful

Sherry Power's positive experience creating a scholarship in memory of her parents inspired her friend Betty O'Neill (left) to establish one at Mount Mercy as well.

Sherry Power's lifelong connection to Mercy started with a well-baby check at Mercy Hospital just before her parents took her home from Catholic Charities.

She was educated by Mercy nuns from kindergarten at Immaculate Conception through Regis High School in Cedar Rapids. Scholarship offers came from Marquette and Dominican University (formerly Rosary College) but Sherry elected to spend her freshman year at Mount Mercy (MM) at her mother's suggestion.

After a wonderful year at MM, Sherry was ready to move to Milwaukee, where she earned a degree in education. Her MM connection resumed when it was time to designate memorial gifts after her mother's passing. Sherry wanted to establish a scholarship to honor her parents but wasn't sure she had enough. She discussed the possibility with Sister Cephas Wichman and they came up with a contribution plan that was painless.

Sherry has faithfully contributed to the Harold D. and Marie Power Endowed Scholarship for Nursing since 1988. She now maximizes her charitable impact by gifting appreciated stock directly to Mount Mercy, thereby avoiding capital gains taxes.

Although both Sherry and her mother were teachers, the nursing scholarship recognized the amazing care her parents received at Mercy Hospital and expressed gratitude to Sister Maurita Soukup who spent many nights with Sherry's mother after hospital stays. This gave Sherry and her mother a sense of security they would not have had otherwise.

The Power scholarship is designated for students from the Ryan, Iowa, area where the Power family maintained lifelong connections. 

Sherry, an educator for 42 years, loved working with young children. She established an intergenerational program linking her second graders with elders that was featured in a PBS documentary. She has spoken nationally on the benefits of bringing children and elders together. Sherry serves as Executive Director of Forever Friends, a nonprofit organization that supports intergenerational programs.

Although Sherry derived great satisfaction from her work, honoring the two people she loved with all her heart, has brought her the most happiness. She says, "I landed in the laps of two of the loveliest Irish parents anyone could wish for and I will be forever grateful." The Harold D. and Marie Power Endowed Scholarship for Nursing simultaneously provides a platform for Sherry to express her gratitude while impacting Mount Mercy students in perpetuity.

You can be like Sherry and change students' lives by establishing, or contributing to, a scholarship. To get started, contact Lonna Drewelow at 319-286-4408 or ldrewelow@mtmercy.edu.