Mary Mulcrone Mentorship Program

The purpose of the Mary Mulcrone Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program is to be a self-supporting adjunct to Chicago Hearing Society’s interpreter referral service by providing professional development for experienced freelance interpreters, Deaf interpreters and newly working interpreters. The techniques used will provide opportunities to gain knowledge, develop specific skills and acquire expertise within particular settings in the field of interpreting. The mentorship program will match interpreters seeking to broaden their skills with a peer mentor who can guide that skill development. This will be accomplished over a period of six to twelve weeks through observation, interpreting, professional research or training off-site, feedback and discussion with the peer mentor and with consumers.

For more information about the mentorship program, please email MWimbush@anixter.org. We are very pleased to name this program in honor of Mary Mulcrone. She was the first certified interpreter in Illinois and the mentor of untold numbers of interpreters. Illinois’ first interpreter referral service began in her kitchen. Later, it was transferred to the Catholic Office of the Deaf where her son, Father Joseph Mulcrone, and his secretary Shirley Stefanski took over the service until CHS received a grant for a part-time coordinator. The interpreter referral service moved to CHS in 1979 where it has grown to become one of the largest in the country. Our mentorship program is modeled on the example set by Mary and the most recent strategies for successful mentoring.

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions received in support of the mentorship program. These contributions will help to cover the costs of training mentors, orientation for new mentees and reduced fees for mentees. Many donors made contributions in honor of their mentors, colleagues or friends.