If you met Ariel today, you would probably never suspect she was someone who struggled in school. She is a bright young lady, filled with confidence in her abilities.

But not too long ago, before she had ever heard of Mercy Home, she was in danger of failing all her classes and, even worse, never reaching her full potential. Moved from home to home by her substance-abusing mother, Ariel only knew instability, confusion, and fear. Ariel never stayed in one school long enough to make friends, and she was always behind in her work. She knew she was smart, but never had the opportunity to thrive in school.

Eventually, the situation reached a boiling point. Friends and family could no longer turn a blind eye to Ariel’s mother’s worsening drug addiction. Ariel’s mom took her states away to stay with a boyfriend. It soon became clear that this man was abusive. After months of enduring his physical and emotional abuse, Ariel’s mom gathered up the strength to leave and returned to their hometown.

Ariel’s aunt agreed to allow Ariel and her mother to live with her on one condition: Ariel’s mom got the help she needed. Her mother agreed, and Ariel finally felt that she had found a peace. She moved into her aunt’s home, and her mother began a rehabilitation program.

Over the next several years, Ariel’s mother completed her rehabilitation program and vowed to make a better life for her daughter. She met a kind, loving man with a stable job and house in a safe neighborhood, and they got married. Ariel was so happy that she could hardly believe it. She finally had the family life she had always longed for, and a father figure who cared about her.

But after a year of living with her stepfather, he was killed in a car accident. With the devastating news, Ariel’s mother relapsed and turned to drugs. Ariel was heartbroken. She stopped going to school. She stopped leaving the house. But eventually, with her aunt’s help and guidance, she found her way to Mercy Home, where she found the stability, hope, and healing she needed to recover from the loss.

Today, Ariel is on top of her class, after receiving support from coworkers and tutors to raise her grades. And her mother is back in a substance abuse program, with hopes of turning her own life around.

Ariel misses her stepfather and sometimes longs for the life she had before he died. But she knows she’s in the best place for her right now and is grateful for the coworkers who care about her. And all of us at Mercy Home, including Ariel, are grateful for friends like you, who make it possible for all of our children to have a loving, stable place to call home.

I am truly thankful for your support and prayers—it works miracles in the lives of all our kids. Please know that you are in the most heartfelt thoughts and prayers of all us at Mercy Home.

A special partnership for the sake of Mercy’s kids and for our televised Sunday Mass

You can make a difference in the life of a troubled child. Fr. Scott needs Partners to pray for our kids at Mercy Home–and also faithful Partners to help broadcast Sunday Mass at Mercy Home.

By pledging your support and your prayers, you’re offering a precious gift to Mercy’s kids–and helping our community of faith join together every week.

The boys and girls of Mercy Home are very proud of the difference they are able to make just by sharing their time and heart with others. None of this would be possible without our kind, faithful supporters, for not only sharing their friendship but for also setting an example of generosity and compassion for them to follow. During this month, please keep the young people of Mercy Home and all of our generous benefactors in your thoughts and prayers.