Mercy Students Put Faith Into Action During School-Wide Service Day

PHOTO GALLERY BY KMS PHOTOGRAPHY, KRISTINA SIKORA

Mercy students came together in service and solidarity during our Make a Difference: Faith in Action School-Wide Service Day, putting our Mercy mission into action by assembling Clean Birth Kits for mothers and babies in communities around the world.

Held as part of Mercy Week and our celebration of Mercy Day, the experience centered on this year’s Critical Concern of Women and Children. Mercy partnered with Farmington-based nonprofit Global Health Charities (GHC), whose mission is to help save the lives of mothers and infants in communities in need by providing training, education and materials essential to a clean and healthy birth.

The day began with an all-school presentation led by members of Mercy’s Service Team, including junior Sofia Rossi, who interned with Global Health Charities over the summer. Sofia shared what she learned about the organization and helped students understand the impact their service could have far beyond Mercy.

Global Health Charities works with local organizations and healthcare providers in communities where mothers may have limited or no access to hospitals and basic medical supplies. Its work has reached 29 countries, with more than 33,500 Clean Birth Kits distributed and more than 58,000 lives impacted.

Following the presentation, students returned to their adviser groups and got to work assembling Clean Birth Kits. Each kit contains simple but essential supplies, including soap, gloves, gauze, antiseptic wipes, a clean razor, cord clamp, plastic sheet, receiving blanket and educational information.

While the supplies themselves may seem simple, together they can help provide a safer, cleaner birth environment and reduce the risk of infection for mothers and newborns. As Sofia reminded her Mercy sisters, the project was an opportunity to look beyond the supplies on the table and think about the mother and baby who may one day receive them.

Through this school-wide experience, our Mercy students demonstrated what it means to be Compelled by Mercy and Inspired by Faith, recognizing that meaningful change can begin with simple acts of compassion and service.

Rooted in the spirit of Catherine McAuley, our Mercy community continues to answer the call to care for others, uphold the dignity of every person and use our hands and hearts to make a difference in our world.