“Dear David,

It’s so hard to believe our children are finally heading back to school!  Thanks to  your kindness, they have had one of the most extraordinary summers of their lives- and now, they can look forward to the coming school year with more promise than they ever knew before.

Education has been a nightmare for so many of our children.  They found themselves stuck in schools where they fell behind and couldn’t find the help they needed to catch up.  Even outside school walls, they had trouble balancing homework with domestic strife, and often had to take care of their families when their parents couldn’t.

But thanks to you our boys and girls now see that learning can be useful, fun, and something they can excel at.  They have the tutoring and after- school programs they need to get their education back on track and begin planning for college, careers, and stable futures.

I could not be more grateful, David, for your role in shaping these young lives.  Without you, these young ones may always have believed they were bad at school or that success was only something for kids more talented than them.  Your support means that they can have all the opportunities every child needs to grow mentally and emotionally.

As a way of showing my thanks for everything you have done for these boys and girls, I am enclosing a copy of our 2015 Back to School edition of The Waifs’ Messenger.  Everything you read in it comes back to you- because you have allowed our children to flourish here at Mercy Home.

Thank you for your kindness.  Please enjoy this issue, and know how much our children appreciate your support.”

Fr. Scott Donahue