When is the Chicago Marathon?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 by Amber Cerveny

One of our most frequently asked questions: when is the Chicago Marathon?

The 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon race day will be October 7, 2012.  Nearly eight months from today, thousands of runners will show strength and stamina all the way to the finish line — reaching personal goals and raising awareness for their favorite charities.  Here are some other things you may not know about the Chicago Marathon:

1. Of the five major world marathon courses, the Chicago Marathon course is the flattest.

2. The Chicago Marathon route winds through 29 different neighborhoods.

3. As of yesterday, the race has sold out!

Here are a few things you may not know about running the Marathon with the Mercy Home Heroes team:

1. If you sign up to run as a Mercy Home Hero, you can still register for the 2012 Chicago Marathon!

2. With the Mercy Home team, you will receive free training through Chicago Endurance Sports and be a part of fun team activities throughout the training season.

3. You will raise critical funds for Mercy Home’s programs and be a Hero to each and every child in our care.

 

Now that registration has closed, the Mercy Home Heroes team is your key to a spot in this highly sought-after event!  Be a part of a wonderful team, make a difference in the lives of Mercy Home’s boys and girls and secure a spot in the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  When is the Chicago Marathon?  It’s not until October.  When should you sign up?  Today!

 

Tagged chicago marathon     Posted in Marathon     Comments: Leave a comment

Friends First Mentoring Match Stays the Test of Time, Distance

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Br. Paul McDonough

Junior was matched with Ken in Mercy Home’s Friends First mentoring program over 10 years ago. At the time, Junior’s family was having a difficult time making ends meet and Ken was newly married and trying to build a life and start a family. They started the match doing what most mentors do with their mentees in the Friends First program. They loved to play sports, visit the shore, take trips to the museums and just hang out and share stories.

As the match matured, Ken spent more time encouraging Junior to do his best in school and to avoid the troubles lurking in the neighborhood. Like most teenagers, Junior had his own ideas and sometimes would test Ken. But Ken always displayed a consistency that made Junior feel more at ease. In many subtle ways, he encouraged Junior to always maintain a level of respect for others. He taught him to be polite and shared his experiences of his life with his family and work.

Throughout the course of the match, Junior had to move several times. And even though the distance was sometimes great, Ken went out of his way to visit Junior on a regular basis. They began to build a level of respect for one another, and even though Junior went through some difficult moments in school and at home, they never wavered in their ability to stay in contact.

Junior is now in Afghanistan, serving our country in the United States Army. Guess what? Ken continues to keep in contact with Junior. Of course, he can no longer meet up with Junior on the weekends and now has to concentrate on the two small children he is raising with his wife. But the bonds that they built during their match through Friends First have stayed strong, no matter the miles between them.

A West Point cadet is taught to always uphold three virtues as a soldier: duty, honor and country. Ken and Junior believe there is one more virtue they both learned during their time in Friends First together, and that is the great deal of respect they will always have for one another.

Tagged Br. Paul, Friends First, Junior, mentor, Mentoring, National Mentoring Month     Posted in Mentoring     Comments: Leave a comment

Running the Chicago Marathon: an Opportunity of a Lifetime!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Amber Cerveny

Mark Twain said “20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”.

February 1^st begin your journey to 26.2 miles. Sign up to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and you will experience an opportunity of a lifetime. Sign up to run for Mercy Home and you will make that experience heroic.  As you cross the finish line you will not only have changed your life but the life of a Chicago child in need.  There is little in life more heroic then bringing safety, hope and joy to a child who otherwise would face danger and despair. 

 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – October 7, 2012 – Registration Opens Today, February 1, 2012!

 Begin your heroic experience of a lifetime today! Sign up at www.mercyhome.org/marathon or call 312-738-7567.

 Be a Hero, you will not be disappointed!

photo credit: darkmatter via photopin cc

Tagged marathon     Posted in Marathon     Comments: Leave a comment

Hoops Draft Night Brings in Chicago Bulls

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 by Jenny Giudici

As the Hoops to Homework draft neared, energy was high among Mercy Home’s young men, who all wondered which college team they would be drafted to. As the night approached, they had no idea that a draft pick from their favorite university would be trumped by surprise guests.

As all of the young men gathered in Mercy Home’s Noha Gymnasium, Fr. Scott kicked off the draft by welcoming special guests, Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman, his wife Leslie, Bulls guard Jimmy Butler, Bulls point guard John Lucas III, and Benny the Bull!

“I am deeply grateful to the Bulls organization for being here today,” Fr. Scott said. “You are terrific and you really are a source of inspiration, certainly to me, and to our young people and co-workers here at the Home.”

As each young man was drafted to a college team, Butler and Lucas congratulated them and posed for a photo, while Benny the Bull wrecked havoc on everyone else, spraying youth and co-workers with silly string.

As Hoops to Homework, a weekend basketball league which gives our youth incentive to do better in school, enters its 22nd year, Fr. Scott thanked Tom LeClair, its founder, for his time and dedication to the youth at Mercy Home, and reiterated the impact Hoops has on the young men here.

“This program was designed to help develop the minds, bodies, and spirits [of our youth],” Fr. Scott said. “It is an educational program that challenges [them] to do better in school—to use that great gift of a mind that God gave to [them].”

A special thanks to the Chicago Bulls organization for celebrating our draft night with us, and gifting each youth with a Bulls hat! It certainly made everyone’s night.

Check out photos of the Chicago Bulls at Mercy Home.

 

Tagged Chicago Bulls, Hoops to Homework     Posted in Photo Gallery     Comments: Leave a comment

10 Ways to to Better Connect with Your Mentee

Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Diane Venzera

Friends First has been matching children in need with positive adult role models since 1987. In honor of National Mentoring Month, our Friends First team has put together a list of ten tips to help mentors connect with the youth in their lives.

1. Encourage their hopes and dreams by asking them what they want to be when they grow up or if they could wish for anything, what would it be? Then help them create the steps that will lead them there.
2. Let them know they are important to you by being on time for your outings.
3. Really “SEE” them. Don’t just look on the surface, really notice and mention the positive things they do.
4. Help expand their world by exploring different ethnic neighborhoods. Talk about the similarities and differences between their culture and this one.
5. Invite them to explore their creativity. We all have creative ability, it just takes some of us longer to identify it. If they feel they are not creative, engage them in a conversation about what they do when they are bored. Creativity has many faces.
6. Find a topic they are really interested in and read a book together about it. The fact that you knew it was an interest of theirs will let them know you are paying attention to who they are and what they are saying.
7. Encourage them to be of service to others. Working together to help someone else creates a connection.
8. Let them see who you are by sharing how you overcame a struggle. It will also help them to know that we all struggle with something and will allow them to make a connection with you.
9. Invite them to help you plan an outing. This will help them understand that this relationship is a partnership and they do get to have a say in it.
10. Let them know how much fun you have when you are with them. It will cause you both to smile.

photo credit: arimoore via photopin cc

Tagged Friends First, National Mentoring Month     Posted in Mentoring     Comments: Leave a comment