The Mission of Our Lady of Mercy, Inc.
NicknameMercy Home for Boys & Girls
PredecessorSt. Paul's Home for Working Boys
Formation1887 (1887)
FounderFr. Louis Campbell
Founded atChicago, Illinois
TypeNonprofit
36-2171726
Legal statusActive
Headquarters1140 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois
Area served
Chicago
President/CEO
Fr. Scott Donahue[1]
Chairman, Board of Directors
Joe Nolan
Parent organization
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
Websitewww.mercyhome.org

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is an American privately funded childcare and residential home for abused, homeless and neglected children or children struggling with family issues, in Illinois.[2]

History

Founded in 1887 in Chicago by Fr. Louis Campbell, a Chicago priest, the shelter's original mission was to house homeless, orphaned, and abandoned boys in and around the Chicago area. Under the initial guidance of the Archdiocese of Chicago, a struggling orphanage became a boys home under the name of the Mission of our Lady of Mercy.

Mercy Home began accepting girls in 1987. Three years later, it was renamed Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Mercy Home is composed of two separate campuses where abused and neglected children are cared for—the Boys' Campus, located in Chicago's West Loop area, and the Girls' Campus, located south, in Chicago's Morgan Park community.

Today, abused and neglected children (both boys and girls) are assisted by one of Mercy Home's fourteen residential programs.

Leadership

Fr. Scott Donahue, President of Mercy Home, came to the agency in 1990 when then-President, Fr. James J. Close, invited him to assist in Mercy Home's mission. A renowned activist, philanthropist, author , and civic leader , Fr. Close served as Mercy Home's president for thirty-three years. Three years later, Fr. Donahue became Mercy Home's associate president. In 2006, Fr. Donahue became President of Mercy Home after Fr. Close retired in April.

Certification and accreditation

Mercy Home is a licensed 501(c)(3) childcare institution and child welfare agency and accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Children and Families (COA).[3][4]

Since Mercy Home is not federally funded, over 98% of Mercy Home's funding comes from private resources.

Locations

References

  1. ↑ Leadership at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls
  2. ↑ "Mercy Home Touched With Green". Irish American Post. 4 (5). Feb–Mar 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  3. ↑ Mercy Home: by the numbers
  4. ↑ COA: Who is accredited
  5. ↑ "Mercy Home for Boys & Girls Renames Its Morgan Park Campus".
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