Big Heart, Big Mission

“I always tell everyone, Disney has nothing on us,” Mike Hosfeld says. “Here is where the magic happens.”

Hosfeld is describing the energetic atmosphere of the Mercy School for Special Learning, the Lehigh Valley’s only private, nonresidential school for children and young adults with disabilities. Here, colorful pictures and art plaster the walls, students wave and smile as you walk the halls, and a dedicated staff works tirelessly to create a welcoming environment for all kinds of learning.

An ’82 Moravian graduate, Hosfeld is a job coach for young adults with disabilities at the Mercy School. In this role, he works directly with students to help them develop a wide variety of skills, try out different professional environments, and ultimately take steps toward independence and potential employment.

But Hosfeld didn’t always expect his path to lead him to this kind of work. After acquiring his business management degree, with concentrations in accounting and German, he spent 35 years climbing the ranks at a global business information company. After a series of layoffs left him suddenly without a job in 2020, he began reflecting on his lifelong work as a volunteer.

“Through this work, I had discovered I had a gift for working with students with disabilities,” Hosfeld says. “I didn’t care if it was for pay or as a volunteer—I knew I wanted to keep working with them.”

A chance connection, coupled with auspicious timing and Hosfeld’s fresh vision for his future, led to an opportunity. Hosfeld’s physical therapist learned about his passion and connected him with the Mercy School, which had a job opening. The rest is history. Since 2021, Hosfeld has worked to support students in reaching their utmost potential. His background in business, from his Moravian education and his extensive experience in corporate America, has helped him foster partnerships with businesses and organizations throughout the Bethlehem and Allentown area.

One of these fruitful relationships is with Moravian University, where Dean for Career Success Kristin Eicholtz is a longtime collaborator of Hosfeld’s. Together, they have organized Mercy School events like professional development workshops and service projects spearheaded by Moravian students. Each week, Mercy School students head to Moravian’s campus to work in the Center for Career Success.

“It really is not only special for the students that Mike’s bringing here, to see the smiles on their faces, but the smiles also on the Moravian students’ faces,” Eicholtz says. “I look forward to the days they come.”

This past February, Moravian’s partnership with the Mercy School culminated in a successful nutrition workshop organized by Moravian’s Associate Professor of Public Health and Director of the Public Health Program Colleen Payton and students in her public health internship program. In small groups, Moravian students used visual representations of food groups and balanced meals to teach about nutrition.

“The Moravian students learned from the Mercy School students what things excite them related to the foods or drinks that they like,” shares Payton. “It was very collaborative and hands-on, and they had really good, meaningful conversations.”

Hosfeld facilitates other initiatives such as mock interviews and cybersecurity presentations and generally works to ensure that students explore careers in areas they are both excited about and able to succeed in. “I learned very early on not to impose boundaries on these students,” he says. “They will outperform our expectations every time.”

Hosfeld’s drive for volunteering and meaningful work began at a young age, through lessons from his grandparents and his faith. He also points to his education at Moravian. “Moravian has this spirit that goes beyond education,” he says. “It has that spirit of doing good for others.”

Hosfeld can see the impact of the Mercy School’s environment firsthand. He notices when students grow more comfortable building social relationships, when students participating in mock interviews sit up a little straighter and speak with more confidence, and when students who were too shy to wave at him before greet him by name—“Hi, Mr. Mike!” Through his efforts, there is increasing interest from employers in hiring Mercy School graduates.

As he walks through the bright halls of the Mercy School, greeting every student by name, Hosfeld shares the key to the school’s joyful atmosphere. “The magic of it is these students,” he says. “We’re giving them gifts, but man, they are giving us more gifts than we can ever give them. And it’s a beautiful thing.” —Caroline Junker