December 17, 2024
One of Mercy Home’s most meaningful traditions is the Book of Service, an annual volume that summarizes the many ways our young people helped others throughout the community during the year. It is presented to the city of Chicago as a gift at Christmas. But we are so proud of the difference our kids made for so many, we want to share it with you.
Editor’s note: Mercy Home’s residential programs are composed of several smaller, named living spaces, or “homes,” contained within two Chicago campuses. The Book of Service below is organized around the activities of each home as reported by our young people.
This year, Seton Home volunteered regularly at Feed My Starving Children, where they hand-packed rice, soy, dried vegetables, and a blend of vitamins and minerals into bags, which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets, and shipped to the children around the world.
They also volunteered often at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, where they packaged different foods and vegetables for those in the Chicagoland area.
When community service takes place at these locations, the youth like to set goals and see how many meals they can pack in a visit and strive to either meet or exceed that amount on the next visit.
They also enjoy giving back by volunteering at the Teen Bridge Center in Orland Park, where they helped sort clothing for its charitable thrift store, and by collecting clothing for donation at Cradles to Crayons, and organization that provides free clothing and other basic needs like shoes, diapers, coats, and backpacks with school supplies to children experiencing poverty or homelessness.
This year they also made cards for military families for Veterans Day and visited the Smith Senior Center in the Beverly community, where they played bingo with the senior residents.
The youth generally leave these activities feeling proud to give back.
Throughout the year of 2024, the ladies of Walgreen Home participated in several community service activities.
Walgreen Home youth volunteered at Misericordia, where they made crafts with adult residents with disabilities. Youth engaged in conversations with residents, danced, and played basketball.
Walgreen youth also participated in a group with the 22nd District Chicago Police Department, which held discussions surrounding individuals’ experiences with domestic violence.
Another service completed by Walgreen youth was a book bag giveaway that provided school supplies to the community.
Lastly, Walgreen youth volunteered to clean up the Englewood neighborhood, where they picked up trash in the community
All of these opportunities to serve within our community have been an awesome experience for the youth!
At the beginning of May, Couderc Home youth pledged to focus on service throughout the summer.
Service projects included the Beverly Area Planning Association (BAPA’) Clean the Green program, where youth helped pick up around the park behind Mercy Home to help keep their community clean. They also volunteered at BAPA’s 46th Ridge Run & Memorial Day Parade, prepping water and snack stations for the runners and handing out water and snacks at the finish line while cheering on the runners.
Couderc Home also worked with special needs participants in the annual Special Olympics Baseball Game held at CHSAS. Each youth partnered with and got to know a player while assisting them in playing the game. They also volunteered at the Blue Cap Games: Walk, Run, or Roll event, which held Olympic games for the people served at Mt. Greenwood Park. Youth helped set up the event and assisted the adults in participating in the games.
We also helped clean up Big Marsh Park, a wetland preserve in the South Deering neighborhood of Chicago. Finally, youth participated in the annual Habitat for Humanity service trip in North Carolina.
Bernardin Home contributed over 42 hours of community service this year. This summer, our young people came together to clean up Big Marsh Park, a wetland preserve in the South Deering neighborhood of Chicago.
The staff and youth also utilized their skills and learned new ones, helping to build homes for those in need while connecting with community members by participating in the annual Habitat for Humanity trip in North Carolina this summer.
Bernardin Home looks forward to continuing our efforts to give back to the community.
This year, Bosco Home completed several service projects.
In the spring, Bosco youth visited Misericordia where they engaged in arts and crafts and conversation with members of the Misericordia community. In the fall, Bosco attended a service event named “Brunch and Board Games,” where youth got to know individuals staying at the Illinois Medical District House. They enjoyed getting to spend time with them and hearing about their life experiences.
On Veterans Day, the Bosco community wrote cards and notes to send to our veterans expressing gratitude for their service.
Most recently, Bosco Home created care packages for individuals experiencing difficult times and dropped them off at the Pilsen Food Pantry. Bosco was able to create and organize these packages together while listening to music and reflecting on what they are grateful for this time of year.
The Bosco community is looking forward to our next service event, which is scheduled for December 7. Youth and staff will be volunteering through “My Block, My Hood, My City” at their “Be A Part of the Light” event. We will be decorating neighborhoods and homes on the South Side of Chicago to bring Christmas cheer to everyone!
Completing service hours proved to be a transformative experience for the Speh youth, offering them a unique opportunity to connect with their community while developing a sense of responsibility and empathy. Programs like those at the Anti-Cruelty Society allowed our young volunteers to engage with animals, fostering compassion for all living beings. Reading to animals not only provided comfort to these creatures but also cultivated patience and nurturing skills in the youth.
Similarly, initiatives like Nourishing Hope enabled the young men to actively participate in alleviating food insecurity. Packaging food boxes for those in need instilled a sense of purpose and highlighted the importance of community support. Additionally, the collaborative environment encouraged teamwork and communication among peers.
Overall, these experiences enriched the lives of Speh Home as a whole, shaping their character and worldview. By investing their time in service, they not only helped others but also found fulfillment and insight into their own potential to effect positive change.
One of the simplest ways to gain satisfaction from this life is to dedicate time to those in need.
In Mahoney, we teach our youth that community service offers an array of opportunities to utilize talents, practice humility, and serve those in need of support and help.
Mahoney youth and staff participated in three community service activities this year, which included visiting Misericordia, and two events at Little Sisters of the Poor.
While visiting Misericordia, youth assisted with recreational games, crafts, serving refreshments, and assisting with cleaning before and after the event.
The visit to Little Sisters of the Poor consisted of youth engaging with residents socially and leading games of bingo.
Following community service events, youth engaged with staff to discuss the importance of service and the benefits of contributing to communities to assist and foster a sense of connection and responsibility while also developing skills and gaining a sense of purpose.
This year, the Cooke Home youth participated in a variety of community service activities.
Our youth care workers and day coordinator did an amazing job centering gratitude and the idea of “paying things forward” as we prepared for each outing.
Some activities consisted of visiting the Ronald McDonald House, where the youth assisted with the “Cookies from the Heart” initiative, making sandwiches to feed Chicago’s unhoused population, rehabbing furniture, cleaning up Mercy Home’s campus grounds, and engaging in table games with senior citizens at Little Sister of the Poor.
Staff maximized these opportunities by engaging the youth in conversations that emphasized the importance of building community, practicing humility, and modeling compassion.
Through each effort, the youth were able to reflect on the needs of others, the supports that Mercy has extended them, and overall, affirming the value of their contributions by showing up for others through acts of service.
This year, through the Fuller Center, the youth went to Mississippi to help build houses for those in need of affordable housing.
Exson shared how much it felt like home, and how important it was for him to help others. Lawrence said it was a great experience helping people, being accepted by local residents, and that he learned a lot. All the youth that attended felt like a part of them is still in Mississippi, and they would love to go back.
Out of the many volunteer activities they attended, Taylor shared how much fun the trash pick-up was. At one point, Taylor and Exson were racing to pick up the most trash. This was through Unwaste Shop’s monthly trash pick-up in the West Loop neighborhood.
This year they’ve also gone to Pilsen Food Pantry, El Paseo, the Unwaste Shop, and Misericordia, and made and dropped off sandwiches to the unhoused.
From August 4-10, Campbell Home youth embarked on a meaningful journey to Winston-Salem, NC, for their first service trip since the pandemic.
The week began with volunteering at the Second Harvest Food Bank, where they assembled 384 to-go meals in two hours. On the third day, they divided into two teams: Team 1 worked with Habitat for Humanity on-site, installing beams and rafters, while Team 2 supported Habitat’s ReStore by picking up and unloading donated building materials.
Later in the week, the entire group came together to contribute to the Habitat construction site. Even though the home they were assigned to still had a way to go before being finished, the youth had the opportunity to see a completed home dedicated for a family in need. This was a powerful reminder of the impact of the efforts of those who volunteer.
The youth also revisited the Second Harvest Food Bank, packing an additional 528 meals. This trip not only fostered a spirit of service but also demonstrated the power of collaboration in making a difference.
Thank you to our dedicated young people for making a difference in the lives of others throughout our community.
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