Mary Sheldahl
Mary Sheldahl is passionate about investing in the future of health care professionals studying at Mercy College of Health Sciences. She is a champion for the next generation of nurses to serve our community through her dedication to Mercy College of Health Sciences.
For more than a decade, Mary has been involved in a number of areas at Mercy College. In 2010, she joined the college’s Scholarship Committee and since then has served on the Mission and Community Committee, as Treasurer of the Mercy College of Health Sciences Board of Directors, as Mercy College liaison to the MercyOne Des Moines Foundation Board of Directors and most recently as chair of the College Board of Directors in 2020 and 2021.
In recognition of her recent retirement from the College Board of Directors, Mary established the Mary Sheldahl Endowed Nursing Scholarship. This scholarship will assist current Mercy College nursing students continue their education and become remarkable health care professionals.
Mary has also named MercyOne Des Moines Foundation as a beneficiary of her IRA so that she will continue to provide funding for nursing students beyond her lifetime. “I am committed to Mercy College and what they are doing in terms of training and educating students for health care careers,” Mary said. “With my planned gift, I am able to continue to impact students’ lives even after I’m gone.”
Mary added, “We like to think we are going to live until old age, then just pass away without needing any care, but the reality is most of us will need care as we age. I certainly want the health care professionals helping me to have the proper training and to be compassionate, caring and loving to all their patients. That is how I know I will have great care and that is why I support Mercy College of Health Sciences.”
Like Mary, you, too, can make a lasting impact on tomorrow’s nurses and support your passions through planned giving. To learn more, please contact Joan Bindel at 515-643-8020 or joan.bindel@mercyoneiowa.org today.