Before coming to Mercy Home, so many of our kids struggle with difficult home lives and devastating losses. This was the situation in which Ella found herself.

Her father’s alcoholism and inability to keep a job and her mother’s advancing cancer made it a struggle to pay the bills each month.

After a lengthy hospital stay, Ella’s mother passed away. Rather than giving her time to grieve, Ella’s father sent her and her brother straight back to school very shortly after her funeral.

“All she wanted was someone to promise her that she would still be safe, even without her mother around, but there was nobody to reassure her.”

Ella was so confused, frightened, and lost without her mother that she could barely concentrate on her schoolwork. Her grades began to drop steadily. She stopped spending time with her friends and dropped out of her afterschool activities.

Ella started to feel invisible in the days after mother’s funeral. All she wanted was someone to promise her that she would still be safe, even without her mother around, but there was nobody to reassure her.

Seeking a sense of belonging somewhere, Ella found the security she was missing with a group of kids who frequently ditched school, experimented with drugs and drinking, and were regularly picked up by the police for loitering and shoplifting.

Ella knew that she was going down the wrong path, but she didn’t care—and didn’t think anyone else cared either. She ended up failing a grade and even ran away from home, spending a week sleeping on park benches and in alleyways.

It wasn’t until Ella began to notice how her behavior was affecting her brother that she realized that something needed to change. She saw that her brother seemed disappointed in her and embarrassed of the way she was acting. It wasn’t a good feeling.

In the midst of her deep hurt, Ella decided to meet with a guidance counselor at her school. She didn’t know where else she could turn. Fortunately, her counselor suggested Mercy Home.

“…Ella found the strength she needed to believe in herself and embrace the opportunity to build a brighter future than she ever imagined.”

Ella knew that Mercy Home was her only chance for a fresh start, and her father agreed with her decision. She decided she would come to live in our Home.

Though her family life was far from peaceful, Ella still found it difficult to leave her family. But when she remembered the strong relationship she once had with her brother, she felt more determined to do what was necessary to make a change.

As the months passed, Ella began to settle into a routine. She started going to school regularly again, participating in class, and doing her homework each night. She also had many long talks with her therapist, who helped her unpack the grief she felt around her mother’s death and the embarrassment she felt over her behavior that followed it.

And most importantly, thanks to loving friends like you, Ella began to feel something immeasurable—hope for the future. With the help of the Mercy Home family, Ella found the strength she needed to believe in herself and embrace the opportunity to build a brighter future than she ever imagined. Thank you for making this possible all our kids just like Ella!

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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.