Eleanor Dreams Big

April 25, 2025

Eleanor doesn’t know where she got her love for learning. All she remembers is that she was always eager to find out everything she could about every subject she could think of.  

But Eleanor’s natural curiosity for education didn’t come from her home life. Her mom dropped out of high school, and never encouraged Eleanor to study. And her father abandoned the family when Eleanor was only a baby. Soon after he left, Eleanor’s mother began leaving her with family friends as often as she could. She spent her money recklessly, often not leaving enough to feed her child. 

When Eleanor was with her mother, they lived in run-down apartments in dangerous neighborhoods. Sometimes they didn’t have heat, and Eleanor had to sleep on the floor when her mother couldn’t afford furniture. Her mother took every opportunity to be out of the house. 

Because of this, Eleanor was left alone a lot growing up. Maybe that’s why she often begged her mother to let her go to school, even before she was old enough to start kindergarten. She loved watching TV shows like “Jeopardy” with her grandmother, eager to gather any knowledge she could. 

But despite this passion, Eleanor struggled in school, often receiving only Cs and Ds on her report card. She had no problems with attendance—she was eager to attend every day. But at home, there was no place to do homework, no proper nutrition, and rarely a good night’s sleep. Eleanor often did not turn in assignments, found it hard to pay attention in class, and even fell asleep at school. It became clear that over time, Eleanor’s home life was destroying her education. The lack of support at home showed in her grades. 

Sometimes they didn’t have heat, and Eleanor had to sleep on the floor when her mother couldn’t afford furniture.

Eleanor’s mother eventually left her with her grandmother full-time, no longer wanting what she viewed as the burden of raising a child. But Eleanor’s grandmother had many health issues and wasn’t prepared to raise another child. She gave Eleanor as much support as she could, but it soon became clear that she wouldn’t be able to provide the care Eleanor needed.  

The turmoil in Eleanor’s life didn’t help her grades, either. When she failed seventh grade, her grandmother knew that she needed to find additional resources to help. She turned to Mercy Home.  

Eleanor quickly became involved in our Summer Enrichment program, which allows our children to stay engaged with learning throughout the summer. They also found her a new school to start in the fall where she would receive more support. 

At first, Eleanor struggled with the structure and rules at Mercy Home. She rebelled whenever she could. But once school started, she began to have a dramatic turnaround. Her new school had the resources to give her more one-on-one attention, and she was thrilled to see the way her grades improved. 

When she failed seventh grade, her grandmother knew that she needed to find additional resources to help.

With the support of Mercy Home coworkers and tutors, Eleanor was turning in her homework, studying regularly, and showing up to school prepared for success. As she brought home more As and Bs, her confidence grew. Finally, she could focus on school the way she always wanted to, without having to worry where she would sleep or if she would eat. 

Now in high school, Eleanor is a serious student with big dreams for the future! She can’t wait to go to college and hopes to become a teacher so that she can pass on her love for learning and help kids who struggled, just like she did.  

None of this would be possible without loving friends like you. Thank you for your prayerful support of Mercy Home’s children. 

Please note: Because we care deeply about protecting our children’s privacy, the names and certain identifying details in this story have been changed.