Mercy High School students explored service opportunities at their 2nd annual Community Connections Fair Sept. 23. 28 service organizations partnered with Mercy to raise awareness and recruit volunteers.
“It bridges a relationship between members of our community and our school,” Director of Faith in Action Mrs. Holly Markiecki-Bennetts said. “It helps students see where their talents can be used.”
Students were able to move freely among organization tables, where representatives gave descriptions of their organizations. Many students say that the Community Connections fair allowed them to easily find ways to serve their community.
“I enjoyed learning about service organizations I may not have otherwise heard of,” junior
Emma Lane said.
Events like this fair help groups connect with much-needed volunteers.
“Our team is not as big, but we’re mighty in our efforts,” Catholic Charities of Southeast MI, Outreach Director Senorita Reed said. “Coming here today helps us connect with students who can volunteer and allow us to do more of the work that we enjoy doing.”
Some students saw the event as a way to strengthen Mercy’s ongoing commitment to serving various communities.
“I think it will be effective in expanding Mercy’s service,” junior Katherine Weiss said.
This prediction proved to be true after the school’s fair in 2024. Students completed more than 12,000 hours of service in the 2024-2025 school year.
“Last year after our community connections fair I saw an increase from MobileServe logs of students volunteering at the organizations that were represented at the fair,” Bennetts said.
Students were exposed to different organizations like Angels’ Place, Brilliant Detroit, GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit, The Medical Team Hospice and many more. The wide variety allowed students to pick organizations that align with their interests.
“It gives easy access to a lot of options for us to help around places we live,” sophomore Murphi Gibson said.
After last year’s fair several students got involved with new service opportunities.
“I signed up for PB&J outreach, and after that I went to their services on Saturday morning at OLGC and I really liked it,” junior Addi Collins said. “It’s a great way to get involved with a community.”
The fair model emphasizes building connections.
“If we can connect you and start seeing in high school like where you can use your gifts it creates someone who likes to volunteer for a lifetime, and that is so huge,” Bennetts said.