The March Begins with Annual Kickoff Party

March 10, 2026

Mercy Home’s Associate Board, a group of young professionals who raise support for our young people, hosted its annual March for Kids Kickoff party at a new location, Mary Jo McGuire’s, the sister establishment of Butch McGuire’s in the Gold Coast, which was home to the event for many years.

Associate Board members and friends of Mercy Home enjoyed food, drinks, and good company at the Irish pub in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The evening was the most successful since pre-Covid kickoffs, with 172 tickets sold.

The event included a raffle, where the winners took home gift cards, bottles of wine and spirits, and more. Tickets were also sold to the 16th annual Have Mercy! gala, the Associate Board’s largest event that takes place in May.

The kickoff marked the start of a month-long celebration and fundraising campaign for Mercy Home known as March for Kids. Friends and family will march in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 14, followed by our popular annual Post Parade Party at Venue SIX10, a short walk from the parade route and overlooking Grant Park. The family-friendly event includes live Irish music and step dancers, a buffet, children’s games, and much more.

Mercy Home’s March for Kids has been held annually under different names since 1996, when it was known as A Touch O’ Green. For ten years, it was known as Shamrocks for Kids before being renamed and expanded in 2014.

Today, March for Kids lets people know more about the positive developments in the lives of our young people and their families while also raising the resources needed to continue building brighter futures. Information about March for Kids is being shared on ABC7 Chicago and on country music station US99.

We are thankful to Associate Board members and social committee chairs Jen Goodwin and Tobias Dwumaah, and Board Chair Nicole Tolentino for helping make this event such a success. Thank you to our friends at Mary Jo McGuire’s for welcoming Mercy Home into your space this year. And thank you to everyone who attended the kickoff event, you are truly making this a March for Kids!