Family Involvement Highlighted at Valentine’s Bingo Night

February 20, 2025

An important element of our work is connecting our young people with their families in healthy and positive ways. It is essential that both our youth and their families are invested and involved in treatment. That’s what made this year’s Valentine’s Day Bingo Night at our Walsh Girls Campus so special. It gave the youth an opportunity to invite their loved ones into their space at Mercy Home.

“Because we want to ultimately reintegrate families through the work that we do, we always look for opportunities to engage them into treatment,” program manager Gewanda Monroe said. “It’s not just therapy, but also fun aspects as well so that we are strengthening those relationships to lead to that repair and reunification.”

An advisory board comprised of young leaders at Mercy Home organized the Valentine’s Day themed bingo night that included snacks, prizes, and a chance to spend time with their families.

At last year’s first annual family bingo night, Monroe thought a snowstorm would affect the number of families that attended. But it was enough of a turnout that they wanted to give it another chance this year.

“It was such a great turnout this year,” Monroe said.  “We didn’t know what to expect, so we planned and then on Monday, we gathered up the RSVPs and the numbers kept going up and up. People really got into the game, and it was really a fun night.”

The event also gave the youth advisory board a chance to showcase their leadership skills to their peers and family. They helped set up all the snack tables and served as greeters, putting themselves out there and welcoming people into their space.  For some of them, it was the first time that their families saw them taking on a leadership role.

“I helped do the decorating,” Nia, a youth advisory board member, said. “I really enjoyed passing out the snacks to everybody.”

When appropriate, many of our youth have opportunities to go home on pass, which helps keep families connected and builds on progress. Family therapy held at the home once every month is also an expected part of treatment.

“There are always opportunities to see families,” Monroe said. “Sometimes we do have youth that are in that beginning stage of figuring out how to repair those relationships. Having events like family bingo night gives them an opportunity to show them what goes on at Mercy Home.”

One of the biggest surprises of the recent family night didn’t involve a bingo winner, rather the winner of a t-shirt design contest sponsored by a local youth nonprofit. Coworkers surprised IItzy, a budding young artist who lives with us, by purchasing and wearing the shirts featuring her winning artwork. 

“That was really nice” Monroe said. “It was nice to see them show support for her skills and her abilities.”

Family Bingo is one of two major events where the Walsh Campus invites families in for a night of fun. During the summer, they host a movie on the lawn event for families to enjoy together.

“The youth find it enjoyable and as long as we keep getting that participation from families, we’ll keep doing it,” Monroe said. I think having the opportunity to have an event in the summer and winter gives our families more opportunities to be a part of what we do here on campus.”