When asked what she would like to be when she grows up, 14-year-old Ana does not even hesitate. “An actress or an owner of a beauty salon,” she answers. But before coming to Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, Ana knew she would not have had much chance for fulfilling those dreams.

Life in her mother’s house was difficult. It seemed like at any moment someone would erupt into a yelling match and, as Ana remembers, she always found herself in trouble with her mother.

It was not long before Ana stopped doing her homework in favor of spending time with her friends. And she even started breaking the rules her mother set for her and sneaking out in the middle of the night. Soon, Ana’s once good grades began to drop drastically.

Wanting to keep her daughter safe, Ana’s mother brought up the idea of Mercy Home. Ana was resistant at first but quickly decided that it would be good for her because her grades were dropping. She also felt she needed to change her attitude and remove herself from the problems she was facing at her mother’s home.

Now that Ana is living at Mercy Home, school is, as she puts it, everything she ever hoped for. At Mercy Home, Ana found the structure and discipline she needed to turn her life around—and to take her role as a student seriously again.

Education, along with food, shelter and emotional support, is the most essential component of the care we provide our children. Our education team takes great care to place each child in the school best suited to address their individual needs—and after school, tutoring is made available to each and every student. Ana recognizes the importance of her education and hopes to one day be able to educate her own children.

Outside of the classroom, Ana is thriving in dance classes, and she also enjoys volleyball and swimming. She is making good friends at Mercy Home who understand her background and support her drive and determination in school.

Ana, like so many of our boys and girls, is grateful for the opportunity she has been given to heal, change and grow in a safe and structured environment. Ana has a hard time imagining what her life would be like had she never come to Mercy Home, though she knows that her grades would still be failing and that her attitude and her relationships with her family members would not have gotten any better.

During this time, I ask that you keep Ana and the rest of the children of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in your thoughts and prayers. I ask that you pray that each of them recognizes the second chance that they receive at the Home and that they might continue to take advantage of the many opportunities that are made available to them. Know that, in return, you are in the thoughts and prayers of our entire Mercy Home family.

A special partnership for the sake of Mercy’s kids and for our Sunday TV 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.