POWER OF MERCY
“The poor need help today, not next week.” VENERABLE CATHERINE MCAULEY
Catherine’s spirit of outreach and service that was instilled in our students here continues throughout high school, college, and beyond.
The Spirit of Mercy Shines Through COVID-19 FEEDING THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
It was no surprise to see the Waldron Mercy family step up to support communities throughout the Delaware Valley during the first few months of COVID-19!
In just a month and a half, Elizabeth McCauley McCall ’00 gathered more than 2,000 masks, thousands of pairs of gloves and foot covers, 100+ protective goggles, several dozen lab coats, and even cleaning supplies for healthcare workers and first responders in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. “This was our very small way of supporting healthcare worker efforts and trying to do our part to make their jobs easier,” she explained.
The Parents Association’s Outreach Committee rallied our families to fund a full seven nights of meals for the men at Project HOME’s St. Columba residence at 41st and Chestnut Streets. The meals were prepared and delivered by Jack's Firehouse, owned by the parents of Michael Houston ’18.
Trustee Beth Delaney (parent of Katie ’02, Colleen ’06 and John ’07), Mary Beth Connors (parent of Danielle ’00), Debbie Corr (wife of James ’82) and a group of Associates in Mercy funded weekly pizza nights for residents at Project HOME’s Women of Change shelter at 20th and Arch Streets in lieu of monthly in-person dinners.
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Waldron Mercy Academy
SUPPORTING ESSENTIAL WORKERS
Jenny Spinner and the rest of the McGahey family (including Quinn ’20, rising fifth grader Ciaran, and rising second grader Finn) collected more than 1,200 bagged lunches for St. John’s Hospice and four oversized tubs of nutritious food items for the Green Light Pantry. “We decided to focus specifically on people experiencing homelessness as an acknowledgment of our privilege of having a home in which to shelter,” explained Jenny.
After our doors closed in March, Principal Ann Marie Braca wanted to make sure the extra masks WMA had on campus were put to good use. She reached out to one of our physician families and, along with Merion Mercy Academy, donated 500 masks to Penn Medicine and CHOP. Mrs. Braca was later informed that due to the critical mask shortage at the time, WMA’s masks replaced those worn by medical staff for multiple days in a row.
