IND and Mercy raise funds for Haiti
At the 44th Annual IND vs. Mercy Game on Friday, January 29, fans were generous.

Mercy beat IND 45-24, but there was more to the basketball game this year. The spirited rivals came together for a good cause, collecting $821 to be donated to Hearts with Haiti, the supporting non-profit organization of Wings of Hope. IND alumna KC Bersch ’98 is currently the Director of Education at Wings of Hope, which is a home for severely disabled and abandoned children in Haiti. A Mercy alumna, Karen Buchheister ’07, volunteered with KC last summer. Since our schools have a common bond with Haiti, we teamed up for the big game to raise funds and awareness. The donation will be made on behalf of Mercy High School and the Institute of Notre Dame.

Special thanks to the Fathers Clubs of Mercy and IND for the great idea and the happy volunteers. Thanks to the Bersch family for attending the game, the administrations of both schools for their support, and Graphic Imaging for providing the beautiful poster.

Here is part of an e-mail that was received from KC after the game in response to an e-mail from IND pledging continued support in the months to come:

"... this quake is going to affect us not just now, but in the months to come.  Food prices are rising, our water is almost out, the streets are charged with people, etc.  But we'll rise from the dust.  We had a church service today, dancing and singing oh it was so joyful!  By and large our kids are so severely disabled that they don't really know what is going on, which is what makes the work all the more special in our eyes.  Our employees have homes that were destroyed and family and friends that died, but they are still here.  It's a really dedicated group of Haitians to work with, and I am glad that IND (and Mercy) is now part of that work.”

Thank you to all who contributed to this effort! For more information about Wings of Hope, visit www.HeartsWithHaiti.org.

Click here to read more stories about the IND/Mercy Game and Haiti.