Celebrate St. Patrick's Day All March Long--Join Mercy Home for "Shamrocks for Kids"

CHICAGO, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercy Home for Boys & Girls invites everyone to be part of a solution for kids in crisis this March while celebrating all things Irish. Throughout the month, Mercy Home's annual "Shamrocks for Kids" program will feature family-friendly, Irish-themed activities and events while raising funds and awareness that help abused, neglected and at-risk children. There are so many ways you can make a difference while enjoying the fun and festivities of St. Patrick's Day.

Support—Throughout March, Chicagoans are asked to wear their Mercy Home Shamrocks to show that they support kids in crisis. Shamrocks will be available for donations to Mercy Home and can be acquired from volunteers who will hit the streets at Chicago-area St. Patrick's Day parades and celebrations, including:

• Saturday, March 10, 2012—Forest Park St. Patrick's Day Parade
• Sunday, March 11, 2012—South Side Irish Parade
• Sunday, March 11, 2012—Northwest Side Irish Parade
• Friday, March 16, 2012—Downtown Chicago Tag Day
• Saturday, March 17, 2012—Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade

Volunteer—Mercy Home is looking for volunteers to help during Shamrocks for Kids. In addition to collecting donations for Mercy Home Shamrocks at parades and other celebrations, volunteers can distribute Mercy Home Shamrocks or organize fund-raising events at their workplaces, in their neighborhoods, schools or churches, or even at their own St. Patrick's Day gatherings. Anyone interested in becoming a Mercy Home Shamrock volunteer can visit mercyhome.org/tagdays or call (312) 738-7551. 

Celebrate—Following Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17, Mercy Home will gather for its 17th annual family-friendly celebration at the Chicago Hilton. Guests will enjoy a traditional Irish hot corned beef buffet, Leprechaun Lunches for the kids courtesy of Blue Plate Catering, Pepsi products, Goose Island Ales, and fine wines courtesy of Kinzie Chop House. Live music will be provided by Dyed in the Wool, the Narrowbacks, Sean Cleland & Friends, and Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band. Irish dance performances will feature The Trinity Irish Academy of Dance, The Mullane Healy Godley Irish Dance Academy, and The World Academy of Irish Dance.

The party kicks off at 1:00 pm in the Lower Level Ballroom at the Chicago Hilton, 720 S. Michigan Avenue. General admission is $75, teenagers are $25 and children under 12 are admitted free. Proceeds from the event support Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. For more information or to buy tickets, call (312) 738-8330 or visit mercyhome.org/st-patricks-day-post-parade-party.

Win—The party continues at O'Brien's Restaurant where you can enter their annual St. Patrick's Day Raffle benefitting Mercy Home. Grand prize is round trip main cabin air transportation for winner and companion from Chicago to Dublin, Ireland courtesy of American Airlines. Cash prizes are also available. The winning tickets will be drawn on March 17 at O'Brien's Restaurant on Wells St. in Old Town. Tickets are also available at mercyhome.org as are contest rules and regulations. O'Brien's will also make Mercy Home Shamrocks available during its "Month O' Mercy" celebration, going on now at the restaurant and running through St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

Like—Join Macy's in supporting Mercy Home's Shamrocks for Kids campaign this March by becoming a fan of Mercy Home on Facebook. Macy's will make a generous donation for each new fan Mercy Home gets in March. Visit facebook.com/mercyhome to become a fan today.

Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago is also supporting Shamrocks for Kids. From now until St. Patrick's Day, Trump residents, hotel guests, and patrons of Rebar, Sixteen and The Spa will have multiple opportunities to donate to Mercy Home.

Look for ABC-7 Chicago's lead news anchor Kathy Brock to appear in public service announcements asking Chicagoans to wear "Shamrocks for Kids" in March. And tune in to America's Country Station, US99.5 for more information about the campaign.

And, look for us in lights on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois building in Chicago and on Twitter. On St. Patrick's Day weekend, March 16-18, the building at 300 East Randolph will light up its windows during the evenings to spell out the Twitter hashtag #S4K. Twitter users can then join in the discussion about Mercy Home and Shamrocks for Kids and learn all about the exciting events going on all over town by using the hashtag #S4K.

About Mercy Home for Boys & Girls
Now celebrating its 125th anniversary and led by Fr. Scott Donahue, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls has been a solution for kids in crisis since 1887. Its residential, aftercare, and mentoring programs provide a safe home, emotional healing, education, and life-changing opportunities for more than 600 young people every year. Please visit mercyhome.org to learn more.

SOURCE Mercy Home for Boys & Girls