Our new Each One l Reach One initiative clarifies for current and prospective donors the multiple ways under one umbrella they can give to our students. The Fund for Mercy Families, previously called Adopt-A-Student, remains one of the most popular ways to help provide students with the means to a quality education and a hopeful future. The generosity of donors has allowed us to restructure the program so that the money gifted in one fiscal year will be designated to students for the following fiscal year. This improvement allows the Advancement Office to show the actual monies received for The Fund for Mercy Families instead of giving a projected number we hope to raise.

The goal of the Fund for Mercy Families is to provide the families of prospective and current students with financial assistance so that they can enjoy a quality education at Mercy and look forward to a hopeful future. Because it is important that families feel they are investing in the education of their child, all parents and guardians pay a portion of the tuition to the school. Some students need almost the entire amount of tuition due to their family’s low-income level, while others need tuition stipends to augment their family income. Often the recipients of this program face multiple challenges that give new meaning to the term “at risk.”

Although our present tuition is $5,255 per year, the cost to educate each student is $10,500. Many students come from families whose financial situations are tenuous: 63% of our students receive financial assistance. We rely on the generosity of donors who value our unique mission and appreciate our success rate:

By fully funding a student’s education at the $10,500 level or choosing partial funding at whatever level you choose, you can directly impact the lives of one or more students and his/her families. In turn, you may elect to receive letters and regular updates about your student and share in their progress as he/she discovers and explore the opportunities available to them at MVHS. As the donor, you determine your level of involvement with your sponsored student, under the guidance of the school's staff. You may visit the student, serve as a mentor, provide co-operative education opportunities, assist with post-graduate employment, or simply be a silent benefactor.

Click here to access the various payment options available to you: http://www.mercyvocational.org/advancement/giving/

Robert is a 19 year old senior at Mercy Vocational and the youngest in his family. In his freshman year Robert missed many days of school due to mysterious bouts of illness. His guidance counselor wondered if he suffered from undiagnosed ulcers or acid reflux, perhaps even acute anxiety. In December of that year, his home was destroyed by fire, forcing him and his mother to move in with his oldest brother. His other five siblings moved in with their father who was separated from Robert’s mother. Despite his uneven attendance the decision was made to allow Robert to return to Mercy to repeat his freshman year.

In the first half of his sophomore year Robert was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Still reeling from his radiation and chemo treatment, Robert also struggled to adapt to learning about electricity, his chosen shop. While his church and pastor reached out to help him cope, the majority of his counseling came from Mercy’s excellent Guidance Department and in-house social worker. In his junior year, despite the untimely deaths of his father and cousin, Robert’s academic and shop grades improved steadily. As a senior, Robert is in the highest tract academically and hopes to secure an internship with the Philadelphia Water Department. Frequent testing shows he is at this point cancer free!

Without Mercy Vocational High School’s education subsidy, Robert would never be able to attend Mercy. More importantly, Robert is appreciative of the second chance he was given to attend Mercy where he acknowledges that the faculty and guidance department went the extra mile to help him.

Robert is just one of 400 examples of how sponsors change a life by supporting
Mercy’s Fund for Mercy Families