With the school year in full swing, Mercy Home hosted an open house for our community partners, local schools, and organizations. Attendee Margarito Perucho is a career coach at Central State SER & Serco. When he was a student at the University of Illinois Chicago, he didn’t know much about Mercy Home. The open house provided Perucho the chance to gather information about our services that he can take back to his organization.

“I learned a lot… part of it was admissions, that’s what I mainly came here for because I do have a couple of participants that sometimes are looking for these types of services,” Perucho said. “It’s really hard to know where to refer them, so it was great learning the admissions process.”

Perucho was also impressed with his first visit to the Home.

“It’s a great facility…The programs, and the services you all offer are phenomenal, something that we definitely need in our community,” he said.

Before the pandemic, the open house was a way to connect with partners and community organizations. But in 2020, Mercy Home paused the program until this year. This open house was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with community partners, leverage new partnerships, and allow people to see first-hand the many programs, services, and facilities we offer our kids.

“The overall goal was to invite community organizations and schools to Mercy Home to learn more about it so that we can partner with them in multiple ways,” Vice President of Education and Career Resources Liz Tomka said. That includes letting more organizations know we have openings for young people in need and that we’re an available resource in the community. 

Guests toured our Learning Center and a program home to see where our kids live and study. They got a chance to hear our coworkers talk about what therapy looks like in our residential setting, and how each day is structured for our young people. After the tour, Tomka provided an in-depth overview of Mercy Home’s mission, residential programs and services, the Mercy Model, and the resources and support we give our young people and families.

“I think it’s a model for what we hope all young people have access to, said Chief Partnership Engagement Officer Robin Koelch. “It feels like a space where young people have autonomy [and also] responsibilities. And when I think about what a safe and positive environment looks like for young people, I think it looks a lot like this.”

Additionally, guests could network with our coworkers from departments in Admissions, Community Care, Friends First Mentoring, Education and Career Resources, and therapists to learn more about their services and make valuable connections.

“It was a great professional development opportunity for our coworkers to be able to network and talk about the work that we do, and just build their repertoire of resources whenever they need them,” Tomka said.

Thank you to all the community organizations and schools that came to the open house: Healthcare Alternative Systems (HAS), Communities in Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Evans Scholars, UIC College Prep, Alternative Schools Network, Greater West Town, Central States SER, Jane Addams, Northwestern Settlement, Near North Development Corporation, St. Sabina, Chicago State University, Above & Beyond Family Recovery Center, Mercy Home CADAC Contractor, St. Malachy, Ignite.