By KENNY KEANE, Globe staff reporter
Posted April 17, 2003

A few months ago, about 100 employees at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City formed what's called a Spiriting Committee, which involves several employees from basically every department within the hospital.

According to one of the committee's members, Mary Belew, this select group of hospital staff is striving to make a better workplace for all the employees and trying to make it a better place for patients and visitors of Mercy.

The committee holds regular meetings with the hospital's president, Peter Makowski, sitting in on the group. At a recent meeting, the topic discussed was that of the troops fighting the war overseas in Iraq, and the committee members decided that they wanted to show their support in some way for those serving in the armed forces.

On April 10, a large group of Mercy employees and even some of their family members gathered outside the hospital to decorate Mercy's campus with hundreds of yellow bows. They tied the bows and yellow ribbons on the trees, shrubs and fences.

"We just wanted to show our support as a Mercy family," Belew said. "We announced it over our intercom, we put out flyers and put it across the e-mail that any employee who has anyone who's in the military, knows anyone in the military or just feels like they want to put some support towards our troops can certainly come out and tie a yellow ribbon on a bush or put a bow on a tree or on our fence line."

Belew said she gladly offered to head up this effort, making 300 yellow bows and cutting 2,000 strips of yellow ribbon. In addition, she said that another employee, Lori Woodford, made red, white and blue, embroidered banners for the cafeteria.

"That is for anyone who's in the military so people can post a picture," Belew said. "They can send it to one of the secretaries in administration - the picture and some information - and the pictures will go on these boards in the cafeteria.

"If there's a patient in the hospital who has a family member in the military, they can also do it if they want. Anyone who walks into the hospital or even people from around town, if they just want to come in and post a picture and tell a little bit about that person, they certainly are welcome to do that."

The committee also posted a prayer board for anyone who would like to say a prayer for any of the troops or for anyone in general who's in the military.

"It was all together an employee-driven effort at the hospital," said Mike Krysl of Mercy's marketing and communication department. "It's their way of not only remembering the men and women who are serving overseas or serving in our armed forces anywhere, but at the same time it's a way of helping all of the employees here cope with the certain amount of stress that might be associated with having a loved one deployed."

Although Belew said she has no one close overseas at the moment, she does have a son-in-law who could be deployed at any time and two nephews who are in the military.

"One's stationed in Alaska, and he was told that they would be deploying here soon. He's going to be leaving two little girls," she said. "I see these people over there in the papers and on the news, and I just feel that if we don't support them, who will?

"There's not a lot that any of us over here can do. If we can just show a little bit of togetherness it kind of makes it special for them I think."