Donations and Staff Support Ease College Transition for Mercy Home Scholars

August 28, 2025

A new school year has begun, and several of our young people are headed off to college to embark on the next step in their educations. But for some, moving into college dorms can feel overwhelming.

To ensure all our young people have the essential items they need to succeed in the new academic year, our coworkers take our college-bound students back-to-school shopping. 

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Old National Bank, our Mercy Home Scholars (former and transitioning residents who receive educational support from the Home) will have everything they need to start the year on the right foot. The bank donated $5,000, gift cards, and dorm bundles, which included necessities like blankets, sheets, mattress pads, towels, laundry bags, detergent, dishware, utensils, shower caddies, and more. 

Additionally, all of our scholars received school supplies for the upcoming year, like notebooks, binders, folders, index cards, pencil pouches, pencils and pens, highlighters, and planners. 

Rosario, a Mercy Home Scholar and recent graduate of Harold Washington Community College, will attend Dominican University in River Forest, Ill. this fall to pursue a degree in marketing. Before she moves into her dorm room, our coworker Morgan Kuhn, manager of post-secondary options and career resources, took Rosario shopping for some additional items. Thanks to the gift card she received, Rosario was able to buy storage bins, a fan to keep her cool, and extra cleaning supplies.

“When I saw the gift card, I was amazed how much support they gave us,” Rosario said. “Thank you so much, I am so grateful.”

Kuhn is also grateful for Old National Bank’s generosity.

“I’m grateful that they provided our youth [with dorm kits and gift cards] to make their next step feel like home,” Kuhn said. “It helps alleviate the fear of, ‘are my needs being met as I’m making a big transition into a new living situation?’”

One financial lesson that Kuhn emphasized with Rosario while they shopped was the difference between a need and a want. When they were searching for a fan to buy, it became a teachable moment that Rosario would take with her throughout her life.

“It gave me practice in real life to make choices on buying things, and to say, ‘do I really need this?’ Now, I’m able to think before I buy [something],” Rosario said.

Our Education and Career Resources team does a great job at creating a road map with measurable educational goals for our young people, which are tailored to their individualized needs.

“The ECR team and Quille Home are constantly checking in [with our youth], working on their goals,” Kuhn said. “It’s a partnership. [We] make sure their own strengths are being highlighted and they’re being pushed to their fullest potential. But it all comes back to the relationship aspect and the trust you build with them.”

And throughout the year, the ECR team is constantly providing lessons, offering workshops on financial literacy, and helping youth to set educational, career, and personal goals.

As Rosario leaves Mercy Home for college to pursue her dreams, she will not only take important life lessons that she’s learned from our coworkers, but she has discovered herself, and her purpose.

“I learned that I have a voice,” she said. “I didn’t really know who I was or what I liked. [The staff], have been really supportive. They’re someone I can talk to and go for resources.”

A big thank you to our generous friends at Old National Bank, as well as our coworkers who make it possible for our young people to begin the new school year with confidence. 

And join us in wishing Rosario much success at Dominican!