Save the Date 11/18/23 Mercy Home’s Lux Gala
You won't want to miss the premiere of Mercy Home's brand new fall fundraising gala.
This upscale, black-tie event will feature immersive and electrifying experiences that will thrill your senses as you journey through the exquisitely restored art deco interior of Chicago's Old Post Office.
Enjoy live stage performances, free-roaming entertainment, a dinner program, auctions and raffles, VIP experiences and more.
Want a taste of what you can expect? Take a look at what’s in store!
Mark your calendar today and be there November 18. Give young people in crisis the tools they need to build brighter futures by attending the Lux Gala. Proceeds benefit Mercy Home for Boys & Girls—a solution for kids in crisis since 1887.
November 18, 2023
Old Post Office
433 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL
For more information click here.
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!
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.