Connecting with the Community

August 31, 2026

Mercy Home Promotes Services at Bud Billiken Parade

Author: Mark Schmeltzer

All eyes were on the South Side when the city hosted the 97th annual Bud Billiken Parade in August. The beloved annual tradition celebrates back-to-school season and honors African American culture. Once again, coworkers from Mercy Home were on hand to let attendees know more about our work with children and families.

The oldest and largest African-American Parade in the country, the event drew thousands along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to enjoy the marching bands, floats, dance troupes, tumblers, cheerleaders, civic organizations, celebrities, charities, politicians, and so many more as they made their way through the heart of historic Bronzeville. The parade ended in Washington Park and the Bud Billiken Parade’s It Takes a Village Festival.

That’s where crowds had the opportunity to learn more about Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. At the Mercy Home festival tent, Coworkers from our Community Care team connected with neighbors, business owners, community leaders and organizations, vendors, and others, sharing information about our services and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for hungry parade goers.

“I am always honored to participate in this incredible tradition each year, connecting with so many wonderful people and sharing the mission of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,” said Community Care Coordinator Ashley Corbett. “It is a privilege to help educate our community about the support, opportunities, and hope Mercy Home provides to young people and families, while celebrating the strength and unity that make Chicago so special.”

Coworkers volunteering from other departments around the Home included Sophia Williams, Ja’Eisha Frierson, Maria Tamayo, and Patty Soto.

Thanks to our friends at CBS2 Chicago News and Community Care Vice President Daniel Nelson, our outreach extended far beyond the park and into the homes of television viewers throughout the Chicago area. Nelson was interviewed by CBS2 News reporters Irika Sargent and Audrina Sinclair during a special broadcast from the festival and let viewers know about ways they could support our work with children and families.

You can watch Nelson’s interview beginning at 5 minutes and 30 seconds into this video.

The Bud Billiken Parade is the brainchild of the late Robert S. Abbott, “the father of Black journalism” and founder of the Chicago Defender, the legendary newspaper for African Americans, which served as a cultural beacon during the Great Migration as it spread news of northern jobs and opportunity to the American South. Thousands of African Americans during that era would come to call Bronzeville home and make it the vibrant hub of Black life in Chicago.

In 1923, Abbott established the “Bud Club,” a social club for young African Americans in Chicago that echoed the Defender’s children’s page, which encouraged reading, appropriate social conduct, and community involvement. With “Bud the Billiken” as the club’s mascot, Abbott expanded the club’s scope to include a parade in 1929.

Ninety-seven years later, the Bud Billiken Parade continues to celebrate African American culture while connecting the community to resources that promote education and empowerment including scholarships and school supplies. It is watched in person and via television by an estimated one million people.

Mercy Home was proud to be an event sponsor for the fourth straight year and to play a part in this storied Chicago tradition.

“From generation to generation, the Bud Billiken Parade brings people together to honor excellence, education, and community spirit,” said Corbett.