Show us your Poker Face!
JOIN US CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF POKER NIGHT!
Join us this January 26 as we gather for our 10th annual Mercy Home Poker Night!
Back at the Bank of America Tower, overlooking the Chicago River, Poker Night will feature Vegas-style excitement and great Gibson’s food. It's the perfect mid-winter night out on the town!
The event features a Texas Hold 'em tournament and charitable gaming, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and dinner buffet.
You can win big too! Top tournament prize is a $10,000 seat at the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas. We'll award more than $15,000 in additional prizes as well.
As always, the biggest winners are our kids – proceeds from Poker Night support the young people at Mercy Home.
Don't wait to get in on the action. Buy your ticket today. Our $225 Poker Buy-in goes up to $275 after January 13, 2023. Price for the casino ticket is $150.
MERCY HOME HEROES RACE DAY VOLUNTEERS
Sign up to Volunteer!
On Wednesday, March 23 at 11am CST,Volunteer for Mercy Home on Race Day this October!
Volunteer Details
All ages are welcome; children 16 & under must be accompanied by an adult. Community service hours will be given to those who need it.
Volunteers are needed at two different locations:
Heroes HQ is located at DePaul University’s Loop Campus, 333 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60604, 11th Floor.
The Mercy Mile Cheer Station is located at our West Loop Campus, 1140 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607.
Details on individual volunteer roles are listed below. Requests for a certain role will be taken into consideration and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. We ask that all volunteers be flexible as roles may change. If you’d like to request a certain role, please include it in the comment box on the form below. Otherwise, we will assign you to a role that best fits your availability.
Heroes HQ
Gear Check and Runner Support
Manage the runners’ room, check, and organize gear, and provide runner recovery support as needed after the race.
Spectator Check-In
Greet families and other supporters of the runners. Collect contact information and payments for meals.
Spectator Support
Manage smooth entry/exit of spectators at buffet area. Ensure all guests have the necessary wristband to proceed.
Shuttle Attendant
Help guests find the trolley pick-up point and direct them to the 11th floor once they exit.
Finish Line Team
Greet runners as they return from finishing 26.2 miles! Cheer at elevators and direct them toward our runner recovery room or greet them downstairs and direct them to the 11th floor.
Mercy Home Cheer Station
Set Up Team
Install bleachers, signs, and tables for the “Mercy Mile.”
Shuttle Attendant
Help guests board trolley to Heroes HQ and direct guests to Cheer Station upon exiting the trolley.
T-Shirt Area/Cashier
Sort and distribute t-shirts to be given to volunteers. Accept payments for spectator shirts and food items.
Spot-A-Runner
Be on the lookout for Mercy Home Heroes! When you spot a Hero amid the other runners, announce that the runner is headed toward the Mercy Mile. We’ll be ready to cheer as they run by!
Recruit-A-Hero
Talk with guests at the Cheer Station and recruit runners for next year.
Dismantle Team
Remove bleachers, signs, and other event equipment.
Sign up to Volunteer!
Join us for Mercy Home's Brighter Together
Join us in kicking off the holiday season with this beloved Mercy Home tradition.
Mercy Home Tree Lighting Celebration
Join Mercy Home’s kids for the second year in a row as we ring in the Christmas season with a special, virtual tree lighting celebration!
Gather with us for a beloved Mercy Home tradition that will feature a message from Fr. Scott Donahue, special presentations from our young men and women, musical entertainment, silent auctions, raffles, and more. Hosted by Jim Williams, CBS2 Chicago.
Proceeds support the children of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.
Date: November 18, 2021
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Place: Virtual Event
19th Annual Graduates' Luncheon Honoring Mercy Home for Boys & Girls' Class of 2021
Celebrate Mercy Home's Class of 2021!
Tuesday, June 8
11:45 am | Virtual Event
19th Annual Graduates' Luncheon
Honoring Mercy Home for Boys & Girls' Class of 2021
In the face of an especially challenging school year, Mercy Home's young people continue to work hard to build brighter futures. They know that reaching their academic goals is a critical step on the road to lifelong success.
That's why we come together every spring to encourage these determined young people while raising the resources we need to provide them life-changing educational opportunities. We invite you to join us in this celebration--please attend our virtual Graduates' Luncheon, June 8th at 11:45 am.
For the 19th year, we will hear their powerful stories of triumph over adversity while we congratulate them on their achievements. Like last year, we'll be gathering entirely online. But that just makes it easier for you to join us for a commencement unlike any other. Best of all, you can help us raise the support these young people need to build brighter futures.
This special 45-minute live-stream event will feature an address from one of our graduating young people and a keynote address by Angelique L. Richard, PhD, RN, CENP, Chief Nursing Officer, Rush University Medical Center and Rush University System for Health, Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations, Rush University Medical Center. All donations up to $100,000 will be matched.
If you are unable to attend, please consider supporting our young people's educations with a donation. All gifts will be matched up to $100,000.
Mercy Home's 28th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
BRIGHTER TOGETHER!
This year’s Christmas Tree Lighting at Mercy Home took place LIVE over YouTube:
Welcome to Brighter Together: Mercy Home’s 28th Annual Tree Lighting Celebration!
Thank you for joining us as we ring in the Christmas season with this special, virtual tree lighting celebration! We are so excited to share this beloved Mercy Home tradition with all of you.
As we light up the tree, know that you are helping to bring healing and hope to more than 1,400 children and their families. Every donation will help to light up the tree – and make the holiday brighter for our kids!
Please like, subscribe, and share this video with your friends to spread the message of a brighter future for the kids at Mercy Home. Merry Christmas!
Mercy Home: Mission Critical—Serving Our Children and Families During the COVID-19 Crisis
Mercy Home is taking action to help keep our community safe and healthy while continuing to provide therapeutic and tangible support to youth and families we serve.
The families of our young people, who often live on the margins of financial stability during the best of times, have been hit particularly hard by the economic fallout from this crisis. And providing healing for families is a core component of our mission to save young lives. That’s why our staff is assessing the array of critical needs that these families have right now, such as food and household items, financial assistance, benefits enrollment, and therapeutic support, and then meeting those needs in new ways.
We are reaching out to youth and families who are connected to Mercy Home through all of our programs to help them weather this storm. Patrick Needham, Mercy Home’s Director of Planning and Evaluation, is overseeing this expanded service.
“I am helping all the leaders in different program areas – residential, mentoring, admissions, and aftercare – to gather information about how families are being affected by the crisis,” Needham said. “With that information, I’m coordinating all the different supports that are going out.” Needham sees this work as part of Mercy Home’s mission and as faith in action.
“As Father Scott put it, this is our extended family,” he said. “Everything is changing right now, so we need to change the way we support people. We’re adapting the ways that we can support them based on what the needs are.”
That ability to adapt is due in large part to the support of donors close to home and across the country who provide Mercy Home with 99.6% of the resources we need to operate. Thanks to those who support our work throughout the year and to those who are stepping up in a variety of ways during this crisis, we can meet the most critical needs while also operating in the era of social distancing and stay-at-home orders. That includes partnerships with businesses and other organizations who can provide the things our families need.
Mario Tamayo, Manager of Youth Programs Operations, is tasked with facilitating the delivery of tangible supports to families, like food, which is among the most urgent needs for many because of job loss or reduced income. Tamayo and other coworkers are working with wholesalers, grocers, and restaurants to help provide food for our kids and families.
This extended care, he says, “represents a transitioning of services needed by our youth and families, from on-site, to a mobile delivery system,” said Tamayo. “Whether it’s tangible goods like food or Chromebook laptops so our youth can do online homework and families can continue therapy sessions via video conferencing.”
During the first week, Tamayo’s team delivered food and hygiene items to over 50 families who were overjoyed to receive our help. We are thankful to our friends at Families Helping Families for their generous donation of food. Tamayo said that all the kids and families have been grateful, joyful, and hopeful as well.
“I sense that it eases the anxieties of our youth, as they realize that Mercy Home is still with them and still as committed as ever to support them,” he said.
As our helpers rolled out across the city, messages of thanks poured in from our kids and families.
“Having Mercy Home support me and my family through this uncertain time has been a tremendous amount of help,” said AfterCare member Monesha. “I want to say thank you to all of the wonderful people that are doing the upmost for the Mercy family.”
AfterCare member Shena wrote: “Dear Mercy Home staff and donors, on behalf on my little family and me, we want to express our thanks and gratitude. Thanks for blessing us with the food items. It was unexpected, much needed, and appreciated. Thanks for helping us and many more during this time.”
Juan Medina, Mercy Home’s Manager of Community Partnerships, has also helped deliver food and described the reactions of those we’ve been able to assist.
“One of our young adults had a big smile on his face when he saw my familiar face as he picked up his food,” said Medina. “He mentioned that he was recently furloughed from his job and was looking for a new job.” Medina delivered more food to a young man, Maurice, who smiled as he gathered his food.
“He said he and his grandmother were doing okay. I told him to call us if they needed anything,” Medina said. “He said our school resource coordinator checked in on him. All around his neighborhood you see empty lots.” On-the-ground facilitators like Medina and Tamayo both say that, when it comes to our kids and families, just seeing a familiar face from Mercy Home brings them comfort and hope.
“One of the kids I delivered food to said ‘Hey, I know you.’ He thanked me and wanted to walk closer to shake hands, but I stopped him,” Medina said. “He is living with a friend. They both came down to pick up the food.”
We are deeply grateful to those who make our support of children and families possible throughout the year. But we want to say a special thanks to all of those who are doing all they can to help in this urgent moment of need.
Please see the original post on Mercy Home’s Blog here.
Mercy Home Supports Families Through Teletherapy
As the world unites to fight the spread of the coronavirus, the safety and well-being of our children is our top priority. But our kids have faced steep obstacles in their lives, and continuing their therapeutic treatment is critical – especially during these stressful times. Like the rest of the world, we have adapted to these new circumstances as best we can, utilizing teletherapy to ensure our children and family receive the support they need.
Individual therapy
To minimize the risk of infection for youth and staff during this time, Mercy Home made the difficult decision to temporarily reduce our physical, on-site community as much as possible, with some youth sheltering with friends or relatives, and others remaining on site and being cared for by a smaller group of staff. But technology is helping us remain connected despite physical distance.
Each youth who has temporarily transitioned out of the Home connects at least once a week for individual therapy with their regular therapist. These sessions take place via videoconferencing or phone and are tailored to meet the individual needs of each child. Before we started practicing teletherapy, our IT department took the proper measures to ensure that the confidentiality of our families was protected.
“I’ve been really pleasantly surprised – both at how well we can do telehealth and how receptive the kids and parents are to it.”
In just a short time, Mercy Home therapist Sally Weld has seen a positive response from the youth she has been able to work with in this new way. “I’ve been really pleasantly surprised – both at how well we can do telehealth and how receptive the kids and parents are to it,” Weld said. “Kids who don’t want to do therapy in person – who are really reluctant or just struggle sitting in the office – they’re asking, ‘can you call me two or three times a week – not just once?’”
In addition to the challenges that brought them to our Home, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented our kids with a new set of stressors. Their lives have shifted dramatically as their routines have been interrupted, their learning methods have altered, and their living situations have changed.
“I have a few guys who this is a really, really challenging time for,” Weld said. “And it really reiterates to me that they need help and they need services.” While talk therapy may work well for some kids, others have an easier time opening up when their bodies are engaged in physical activity. Though Mercy Home therapist Katie Cunningham can’t have in-person sessions right now, she is getting creative and finding new ways to engage youth, like going for virtual walks.
“It was a beautiful day and we both decided to take a walk and have our therapy over the phone at the same time,” Cunningham said. “And it was just nice, because it was like we were taking a walk and we could both feel how great the sun felt and how nice the wind felt and notice those things.” For many of us, going for walks is a great way to get outside for fresh air during this period of social distancing. But sadly, for some of our kids, this is not an option due to community violence.
When getting outside is not an option in this era of social distancing, our therapists have recommended indoor physical activities including YouTube exercise videos, dancing, running around the backyard, and doing pushups. And since therapists are used to seeing our kids almost every day, they are finding new ways to stay connected, like watching the same TV shows or playing video games online together.
A safe place in residential
For those youth who remain on site because they had no safer temporary place to go during this crisis, videoconferencing is still allowing them to keep connected to those staff with whom they have build therapeutic relationships but who may themselves be sheltering at home to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Each youth is still able to have weekly individual therapy sessions with their regular therapist through videoconference.
One of the kids who Weld works with is still living at Mercy Home right now, and they continue to meet weekly.
“He has a very complicated situation, but knowing that Mercy Home was open and a safe place for him to be was hugely important,” Weld said. With safe social distancing practices, kids living at Mercy Home continue to enjoy some of the same activities they always have, such as playing basketball in our gym, playing in our soccer building, and playing with our facility dog Pongo.
“It went pretty well. I could see a lot of smiles on their faces – they were excited to interact with each other.”
Group Therapy
At Mercy Home, youth often develop close bonds with their peers. One of the places bonds are formed is during group therapy sessions. Group therapy allows kids to discuss common issues they are facing, break down barriers, and find new ways to relate to each other.
During her individual therapy sessions, Cunningham found that kids were asking her if she had heard from their peers and how they were doing. And in the spirit of innovation, she decided to bring them together through a group therapy video conference.
“It went pretty well. I could see a lot of smiles on their faces – they were excited to interact with each other,” Cunningham said.
“I think that a big piece to all of this is normalizing how challenging this time is. And they can relate to one another in that because, quite frankly, many of these kids were not scheduled to transition home right now, so the challenges that they’re facing with their families are really to be expected.”
Family Therapy
During this time of sheltering in place, people are spending a lot more time with family or those with whom they live. As part of our teletherapy treatment plan, therapists continue to hold family therapy sessions on a weekly basis. “Because of everyone being cooped up – things that are so small are becoming really big. And trying to manage moments like that is more so the focus than unpacking big family histories.”
Moments like these demonstrate how important it is that our therapists continue to be there to support families. In providing remote family therapy sessions, Cunningham has found that it’s not only the kids who need support during this crisis, but parents as well.
“Parents are trying to be really strong through all this right now and brave,” Cunningham said.
“Sometimes I like to just create space where they can vent and tell me about some of their fears and worries – and I’ve noticed they feel more inclined to do that when their child is not present. I’ve called parents individually and we’ll have sessions in that capacity.”
Though this is a trying time for our families, it’s also an opportunity to practice the skills they have been working on through treatment. The goal for most kids is to equip them with the skills they need to successfully transition back home or to independent living ultimately. And while many of them return home on some weekends to practice these skills, as they do each day in school or at their workplaces, the current situation allows them to identify things they still need to work on.
“Parents are trying to be really strong through all this right now and brave.”
“I think for me, it really has become kind of like a measuring stick. For some kids, I’m like, ‘wow, you’ve made a lot of progress, and you’re able to do it better than I thought,” Weld said.
“It’s really providing a lot of data in terms of where we are at in their treatment, and where we need to go.”
Mercy Home is using every tool at our disposal to make sure our kids and families continue to build on the progress that they have made when this crisis gripped our country and our city in the past month. While some of the specific ways we’re providing healing for those in our care might look different than they did several weeks ago, our core mission and therapeutic approach remains constant. And something kids can depend on during a time of change and uncertainty is worth its weight in gold.
Please see the original post on Mercy Home’s Blog here.
Mercy Home Featured on Fox 32 for National Mentoring Month!
Mercy Home was featured on Fox 32! Tilisha Harrison and John Reddington talk about Mercy Home's new Friends First Mentoring program and how mentoring can make a positive impact children.
UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATES OUR YOUNGEST CITIZENS
Universal Children’s Day
By Nic Halverson
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is all about improving the welfare of children in need — it’s our number one priority. Our safe, nurturing home helps kids heal from years of abuse and neglect, so they can go on to lead healthy, productive lives.
That’s why, today, we celebrate Universal Children’s Day — a day to promote international awareness and togetherness in effort to improve the lives of children the world over. This days encourages children of different backgrounds to spend time together and appreciate each other’s differences. The day also urges governments to pay closer attention to the welfare of their youngest citizens.
Founded by the United Nations in 1954, Universal Children’s Day offers an inspirational point of entry to advocate and promote children’s rights. Hopefully, these initiatives spark conversations and actions that lead to a better future for children.
So, take time today to celebrate the children in your life and do something special with them — maybe a trip to their favorite museum, the zoo, or their favorite playground.
Or, consider a truly meaningful action that will leave lasting impact by donating to Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.