$150,000 Alumna Gift Transforms Student Spaces

October 2022

This fall, thanks to a leadership gift of $150,000 from Sara Reitz Folio ’85 and her husband Rick, our physical education and Magic Athletic locker rooms were transformed into modern, welcoming spaces for our Mercy Girls. Through their generous gift, the Folios have chose to honor Sara’s parents, Donald and Nancy Reitz and their four Mercy-educated daughters. Reflecting their deep Catholic faith and dedication to academic excellence, Dr. and Mrs. Reitz chose Mercy High School for Sara and her three sisters, Deborah Reitz Minogue ’86, Beth Reitz Appleby ’87, and Mary Reitz Lindauer ’89, and Loyola Blakefield for their son, John Reitz.

The Folios’ gift stands as the largest philanthropic commitment to Mercy from an alumna and was inspired by Sara’s wish that Mercy provide our students with facilities equal to those found at area boys’ schools. 

This exciting effort is part of $350,000 in capital improvements to the Mercy campus during the 2022-23 school year to accommodate our growth, including the largest freshman class since the 2008-09 school year! Recent upgrades include the renovation of an art classroom and adjacent spaces, creation of faculty offices, and refurbishment of 550 student lockers. In the year ahead, there will be more exciting updates about the continuing renewal of Mercy’s campus, and we are sincerely grateful to Sara and Rick!