February 23, 2026
Mercy Home’s Walsh Campus for Girls continued a Valentine’s Day tradition by holding its third annual Bingo Night. Our young people invited their families to give them a long look into life at the Home, and to connect in a fun and healthy way.
“Because we want to ultimately reintegrate families through the work that we do, we always look for opportunities to engage them into treatment,” Program Manager Gewanda Monroe said. “It’s not just therapy, but also fun aspects as well so that we are strengthening those relationships to lead to that repair and reunification.”
The Walsh Campus Youth Advisory Board, comprised of young leaders at Mercy Home, organized the Valentine’s Day-themed evening, which included snacks, prizes, and the opportunity to spend time with family. Like the years before, the event had a great turnout of family members.
“Bingo Night was absolutely amazing!” Monroe said. “The family turnout was truly inspiring, and the energy in the room was incredible. We even ended the evening with families asking when the next event will be. It’s wonderful to see our youth and their families so engaged and excited to participate.”
This event also gave the Youth Advisory Board the opportunity to showcase their leadership skills to their peers and families. They helped set up and serve snacks, decorated the space, and acted as greeters, welcoming visitors into their space.
Events like this aren’t the only way our kids get the chance to interact with their families while at Mercy Home. Youth have opportunities to go home on either day or overnight passes, as well as participate in family therapy, which is an expected part of treatment.
“There are always opportunities to see families,” Monroe said. “Sometimes we do have youth that are in that beginning stage of figuring out how to repair those relationships. Having events like family bingo night gives them an opportunity to show them what goes on at Mercy Home.”
This family bingo night is one of two major events where the Walsh Campus invites families to have fun. During the summer, Walsh hosts a movie on the lawn event for families to enjoy together.
“The youth find it enjoyable and as long as we keep getting that participation from families, we’ll keep doing it,” Monroe said. I think having the opportunity to have an event in the summer and winter gives our families more opportunities to be a part of what we do here on campus.”
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