一生致力于服务

Mary Thornton’s lifelong passion for volunteerism and giving cannot be diminished, even in retirement.

1970年，玛丽毕业于Mount Mercy大学，获得历史学位，但她知道，在高中课堂上教书可能不是最适合她的。 Instead, she embarked on a journey of service for her community’s most vulnerable populations, wherever that was in her well-traveled life.

Mary’s lifelong dedication to others has made her the recipient of 皇冠体育’s 2025 Misericordiae 校友 Award, presented for humanitarian service to others through professional or volunteer activities.

“We have the means to do things. We have the time to do things,” Mary explained of her life with her husband, Patrick. “And we discovered that we are surrounded by people that want to give back as we do. 坦率地说，没有行动的信念是空洞的。

“I try to tell people you don’t have to devote 40 hours a week to being a volunteer,” Mary continued. “当我们许多人朝着一个共同的目标一起努力时，一个积极的结果是可行的。”

玛丽一生都在她所生活的社区中推动变革。 She grew up as a farmer’s daughter in Independence, Iowa. 她的母亲在玛丽13岁时去世了，她在一个有七个哥哥的家庭中长大。

“Lots of guidance,” she recalled with a chuckle.

在天主教信仰的基础上长大，她的父亲引导她去了慈悲山，可能是受到她姑姑的建议的影响，她姑姑是慈悲山的修女。

“He wanted me to go someplace where I wouldn’t be overwhelmed, perhaps not that far from home,” Mary recalled. “It was a fabulous four years. 来自一个全是男人的家庭，我感到受到了保护。 This was an opportunity to develop close friendships and have surrogate sisters, and I stayed in touch with several of them through all these years.”

Mary has fond memories of her time on the Hill, including watching the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” in the Penthouse, playing bridge with classmates, and putting together a

talent show for Parent’s Weekend. 玛丽来自一个小镇，她说仁慈山让她接触到了新的人和新的想法。

“I met people from all different backgrounds, and it was eye-opening to meet these people and hear their stories,” she said.

在Mount Mercy之后，她嫁给了一名美国军事学院的毕业生，由于军事任务，她未来将多次搬家。 玛丽统计了22个不同的地址，包括爱荷华州、乔治亚州、德克萨斯州、纽约州、罗德岛州、弗吉尼亚州、宾夕法尼亚州、马里兰州和新泽西州。 They also lived in Germany—twice.

“What I could do was work successfully to help children, to share my passion for reading,” Mary said. “Every place I’ve lived, I’ve reached out to share my talents and interests.”

例如，在新泽西州，她担任扫盲志愿者，并为该州受监护的儿童担任教育代理父母。 她在弗吉尼亚教了两年学前班。 她花了五年时间在15所学校管理一个共享阅读项目，同时为这些孩子筹款，为他们提供新书，建立家庭图书馆。 她曾担任非营利组织的代表，负责招募、面试和安排志愿者。

“I’ve been a volunteer manager since high school,” Mary recalled, “both in a paid position and as a volunteer. I’ve enjoyed the experience of reinventing myself every time I moved.”

"We act as a conduit for getting resources where they’re needed." —玛丽·桑顿，70届

一路走来，玛丽和帕特里克养育了两个孩子，一个儿子布莱恩，一个女儿辛迪，今天他们有三个孙子孙女。 2010年，玛丽和丈夫退休，搬到了南卡罗来纳州的米尔堡。 不久之后，她创办了慈善机构The Giving Porch，旨在提高人们对当地非营利组织的认识，并组织当地资源和捐赠的援助。

“We act as a conduit for getting resources where they’re needed,” Mary said. “So, if someone says, ‘I’ve got a kitchen table and chairs that I don’t need or want anymore, who do you think needs it?’ I’ll say, ‘All right, send me a picture, and I will reach out to the nonprofits that I think might be able to use this.’”

即使在退休后，玛丽也没有表现出离开定义她生活的志愿服务的迹象。

“We can all work together, sharing small and large amounts of time, resources and talents,” Mary said. “That’s why I emphasize my tagline: ‘Don’t let your inability to do everything prevent you from doing something.’”