Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is an American privately funded

childcare Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

and residential home for abused,

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

and neglected children or children struggling with family issues.

History

Founded in 1887 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

, 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, autho

and civic leade

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 Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...

agency and accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Children and Families (COA). Since Mercy Home is not federally funded, over 98% of Mercy Home's funding comes from private resources.

Locations

* West Loop Boys' Campus: 1140 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607 () * Walsh Girls' Campus: 11600 S. Longwood Dr. Chicago, IL, 60643 ()

References

External links

Official WebsiteIllinois Government News NetworkJoin Actor Dennis Farina, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Wearing Shamrocks for Kids This St. Patrick's DayBrewco Motorsports & Cub Cadet Partner with Mercy Home for Boys & GirlsCharlie Trotters $80,000 donation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercy Home For Boys And Girls 1887 establishments in Illinois Orphanages in the United States Charities based in Illinois Private schools in Chicago