A Celebration of Mercy recognizes three Rhode Island leaders with Heart of Mercy Award
November 19, 2019
Sister Maureen Mitchell (left) with Heart of Mercy Award recipients Marc Perlman, Carol Shelton and Ned Handy. Photo by James Jones Photography.
At the Celebration of Mercy gala on Oct. 3, the Sisters of Mercy, Northeast, honored three Rhode Island leaders—Edward “Ned” O. Handy III of The Washington Trust Company, Marc Perlman of Ocean State Job Lot, and Dr. Carol Reagan Shelton, a social justice advocate—with the Heart of Mercy Award, an annual award given to Rhode Island leaders who embody justice and improve life in the Ocean State and beyond. To see photos of the event, click here.
Festivities took place at Skyline at Waterplace and included a Fund-a-Need Auction to support the sisters’ ministries with those who are poor, sick and uneducated. Mario Hilario, a news anchor for Providence’s NBC affiliate, welcomed nearly 140 guests. Sister Maureen Mitchell, leader of the Sisters of Mercy, Northeast, congratulated the award recipients, noting, “We are here tonight to recognize Ned, Marc and Carol, who are people of compassion and action on behalf of others less fortunate than themselves.”
Award recipients praised the impact of the Sisters of Mercy in Rhode Island and worldwide. Ocean State Job Lot’s Perlman noted that, as an entrepreneur, he was impressed with the staying power of the Sisters of Mercy, who were founded in Ireland in 1831. “Not too many businesses are still going strong nearly 200 years after they first started!” he said.
Sister Irene Nerney, special gifts officer, oversaw the event, which raised over $80,000 for the Northeast Community. Once again, the Celebration of Mercy was a joy-filled occasion that enabled the Sisters of Mercy to meet and thank loyal donors and corporate supporters.
To view the program book with short biographical profiles of the honorees and a list of sponsors, click here.
If you were unable to attend and would like to support the work of the Sisters of Mercy, click here.
Funds raised by A Celebration of Mercy support the works of the Sisters of Mercy, Northeast. The Sisters of Mercy have been in the Providence area since 1851, founding numerous local institutions, including Salve Regina University, St. Mary Academy – Bay View, McAuley Ministries, Mercymount Country Day School and Mercy Ecology. The Sisters of Mercy, Northeast, is comprised of nearly 500 Sisters of Mercy, 400 Mercy Associates and two Companions in Mercy, and serves in New England and Albany, NY, in ministries related to education, social services, and pastoral care. The Northeast’s administrative office is in Cumberland, Rhode Island.