Making a Difference

Scholarship Benefit MAKING a difference

“ With the guidance and support of the school, teachers, and friends, I have been able to learn how to question the status quo, show c ompassion towards others, and most importantly carry out my faith in my everyday life. ” —Chickie ’17

RAISES OVER $390,000 hrough the generosity of hundreds of donors, our Making A Difference 2017 Scholarship Benefit raised over $390,000! We raised $288,000 that will be used directly for tuition assistance and an additional $102,000 for a new endowment started by Keynote speaker Alison Vorsatz ’98 in memory of her sister Arica ’00. T

This year, 36% of Mercy students will receive financial aid totaling over $1 million. Making A Difference raises critical funding to enable qualified students to attend Mercy. We are especially grateful to the Mercy HS Board of Directors for underwriting the dinner allowing 100% of all donations to directly benefit our students.

Alison began her Keynote address with these inspiring words: “I learned so much in my time at Mercy that continues to shape the woman I am today, but the thing that made the most impact on me is the belief that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. I grew up an ordinary girl. . . Mercy made me believe that I could do anything I put my mind to, and two decades later, I still believe it.” Alison’s speech was truly transformative.

Alison had a very successful business sales career at a Fortune 20 company and is now an Executive at a tech startup called Aced My Interview. She is an amazing woman who has embraced life and one who has also experienced great loss having lost both of her parents and most recently her sister. In honor of her sister, Alison announced at the Benefit that she is starting a new endowment fund, The Vorsatz Family Award, in loving memory of Arica Vorsatz ’00, in honor of her sister. Read more about this new endowment on page 51.

Special thanks to the Making A Difference Honorary Committee and Steering Committee for their leadership, support and generosity. We are also very grateful to Mercy parent Clifton Clark, General Manager of the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront, for his support that allowed Mercy to expand our Benefit to this beautiful new venue which will allow us to continue to grow this event.

Chickie’s and Alison’s speeches and video are posted on our website under Giving.

“. . . five life lessons I learned at Mercy that transformed that shy, awkward, insecure girl into these extraordinary things. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you need to learn to believe in yourself, even when no one else does. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you can’t let the competition intimidate you. Just focus on what you need to do, and give it everything you’ve got.

If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you need to step outside of your comfort zone, and you will find out how much you and your comfort zone can grow. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, find something that makes your heart feel full, bring all of your passion and gifts to it, and you will make a bigger impact than you know.

If you want to achieve extraordinary things, in the darkest moments of life, you have to believe you have the power to be your own light. ” —Alison Vorsatz ’98