Cultivating Purpose: Mercy Works 2023 Year in Review

In a year marked by growth and impact, Mercy Works created noteworthy traction with vision-based youth programming in 2023. Our professional development, STEAM enrichment, and personal development programs evolved and expanded to resonate with a wide range of student interests. These programs allow them to hone much-needed life skills and find their purpose as they navigate the complexities of the world around them.

Among the many skills we learn in life, few are more critical than the ability to read and write effectively. Yet many children in our community are struggling with literacy. Without intervention, a child’s academic career can be adversely affected if they are not proficient in phonetics, reading, and writing by a certain age:

  • 54% of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 have inadequate literacy skills (Smith, 2023). 

  • Failure to read on grade level by 3rd grade negatively impacts future academic success and social and emotional development (Barclay).

  • In Syracuse, just 13% of children were reading on grade level by third grade on the 2022 New York state assessments, falling from 22% in 2019 (Syracuse.com, 2023).

We added the PAL Project (Photography and Literacy) to our lineup of programs because we were experiencing challenges with students' reading ability during programming. We aimed to address this critical need for literacy and improve access to reading, writing, and comprehension programs in our district.

With adjustments in our programming, we can make a difference! When we create an environment where literacy is a priority, students are empowered to become engaged learners. We saw incredible results from the PAL Project and all our programming as a whole last year. We reached more students, served more meals, and had more volunteers than ever before. Check out our stats from 2023:

  • 175 students completed a Mercy Works program 

  • 61% of students live in zip codes 13202-13212

  • 61% of students are males

  • 72% are new students

  • 49% heard of Mercy Works programs from family, friend, teacher, or counselor 

  • 1,883 meals were served

  • 43 volunteers donated 553 hours to serve our mission

Many hands make light work! So many caring individuals rolled up their sleeves and gave hours of their time and wisdom to contribute to the transformation of young people. We aim to continue our hard work from 2023 and increase our impact and numbers in 2024. We have an impressive lineup of programs this year, outlined below:

2024 Programming Dates

We are thrilled to continue our momentum into the new year to affect the lives of more and more young people. Join us on this exciting journey. Sign up for our monthly newsletter below to receive the latest updates on Mercy Works programming.

References:

Nati Torrence