CAMPAIGN PROGRESS$25,000 committed by Michael•$0 publicly raised•65 days left · ends Dec 31•$10,000 left to go
Michael KovacsA father’s personal campaignMichael KovacsGive now (click to select an amount)
Young people participating in a Mercy Street summer program

From me, personally

God gave me more time. I want to use it to help young people build a future.

You’ve walked with me through cancer, a heart attack and everything since. Now I’ve given $25,000 to Mercy Street, and I’m asking the people closest to me to help raise the last $10,000 by December 31.

My gift$25,000
$25,000 of $35,00065 days left · ends Dec 31
My gift $25,000Friends & family $0$10,000 to go
Combined goal$35,000

Mercy Street, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN 45-0536344. Gifts made through Qgiv are tax-deductible as allowed by law and are receipted directly by Mercy Street.

Why I believe God gave me more time

A 3-minute message from me

Three minutes that say it better than I can write it. Turn your sound on.

Dear friends,

Most of you know some of this. A few of you lived it with me. I’ve survived cancer, a medical crisis and a heart attack. By the grace of God, I’m cancer-free, and I’ve had to ask myself a hard question: what is this extra time for?

Here’s how the answer came, one step at a time.

  1. Cancer, a medical crisis, a heart attackAnd then, by God’s grace, cancer-free.
  2. Becoming Jagger’s dadIt changed what I thought my time was for.
  3. Surrendering my life to JesusFaith became something to live, not just say.
  4. Showing up at Mercy StreetBaseball games, Bible study, a tour of the ministry. Each time I saw the same thing: adults who keep showing up for kids.
  5. The 23rd Annual LuncheonMore than two decades of donors, coaches and mentors who never stopped.
  6. Applying to become a mentorI want to give time and relationship, not only money.
  7. Giving $25,000, and asking you to join meThe last $10,000 by December 31.
Michael and Jagger smiling in a ball pit
The best part of the extra time.

I want Jagger to grow up seeing that faith is lived through generosity, service and showing up for other people. This campaign is one way I’m trying to show him.

I’m not asking you to match my gift. I’m asking you to stand with me at whatever level is right for you. A $100 gift from you means as much to me as anything.

MichaelMichael Kovacs, Jagger’s dad

What I saw at Mercy Street

I saw what 23 years of faithful commitment looks like.

For 23 years, Mercy Street has surrounded kids in West and South Dallas with Christian adults who don’t leave. A child might come for baseball, swimming or homework help, and stay for Bible study, a mentor and a paid leadership internship. In a record year they served 6,151 children, and every athlete plays on financial aid.

What I carried home was simple. Don’t let this become about jobs, titles or fundraising totals. This is God’s work, and God has to remain first.

Watch this and you’ll see what I saw.

Edgar celebrating his high school graduation with his family

The kind of mentor I want to be

Edgar became the first in his family to graduate from high school.

His perseverance and his family’s sacrifice got him there, with a Mercy Street mentor who kept showing up. Mentors meet with their kid four times a month for at least a year, hoping to walk with them all the way to graduation.

That’s the commitment I’m applying to make. Your gift makes more of those matches possible.

$600gives a child like Edgar a full year at Mercy Street.
Give $600

Join me at the level that is right for you

Turn this story into steady support.

Every dollar goes towards the Goal

Monthly giving helps Mercy Street plan ahead and keep showing up. A one-time gift moves the work forward today.

Will You Join Me?Choose an amount below. Nothing recurs unless you select the monthly option.
Make a difference$100 onceA meaningful one-time investment in young people and the adults who keep showing upBuild momentum$250 onceHelps sustain safe places, trusted relationships, and year-round opportunityA generous one-time gift$600 onceFunds a child for a full year!
Prefer to give monthly?
$25/monthStart monthly$50/monthFunds a child’s year$100/monthMentoring supportAnother amountChoose what is right for you

Gift goes to Mercy Street, Inc., a 501(c)(3). EIN 45-0536344. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Checkout is secure through Qgiv.

Christ-centered from the beginning

Mercy Street is a Christian mentoring organization.

Its mission is to cultivate mutually transforming relationships with inner-city youth through Christian mentorship. Faith is not an add-on to the work—it shapes how mentors, coaches, staff, and volunteers love and serve young people.

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

1 Thessalonians 2:8
Mercy Street’s guiding Scripture

What these kids are up against

Opportunity shouldn’t depend on the circumstances a child is born into.

In West and South Dallas, a safe place after school, an affordable season of sports, and an adult who knows a child’s name aren’t a given. Mercy Street has spent 23 years closing that gap.

$14,364average yearly income of the Dallas Housing Authority families Mercy Street serves
83%of those households are led by a single parent
100%of Mercy Street athletes need aid to play—and every one receives it
A Mercy Street student learning alongside a caring adult
Safe hours. Caring adults. Room to learn.Mercy Street gives children a place to be known while parents are still at work.That’s where Mercy Street fills the gap. It connects young people with affordable sports, mentors who keep showing up, and pathways into faith, leadership, technology, college, and work.
23years
6,151kids in a record year

A child usually comes for one thing: a baseball team, a summer, or help with homework. Mercy Street’s aim is that they stay for years, surrounded by Christian adults who keep showing up.

Twenty-three years of showing up

Six ways in. One long-term relationship.

Sports

Year-round leagues, clinics, aquatics, coaching, character development, and the fundamentals of faith.

One-to-one mentoring

Caring Christian adults build consistent relationships through four points of contact each month.

Leadership

Paid internships, Bible study, workforce preparation, college exposure, and ongoing alumni support.

After school

K–5 homework help, literacy, math, STEM, meals, recreation, and social-emotional support.

Summer camp

Nine weeks of learning, sports, arts, swimming, field trips, daily devotionals, and intentional mentorship.

Dream Center

Access to computers, music, podcasting, photography, videography, and creative learning.

Figures and program descriptions are drawn from Mercy Street’s current public impact, sports, and 2026 luncheon materials. Program totals may describe different reporting periods.

$10,000 to go

I’m in for $25,000.
Will you stand with me?

One gift can put an entire year of opportunity within reach.

$600One child. One year at Mercy Street.
Give $600
Or choose another amountOr give monthly: $50 a month funds a child’s year

P.S. I’ll see every gift that comes in, and I’ll be thanking each of you personally. If you know someone who’d make a great mentor or coach, send them this page.

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”1 John 3:18

Give now (select amount)$50/month Funds a child’s yearGift goes to Mercy Street, Inc., a 501(c)(3). EIN 45-0536344. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Checkout is secure through Qgiv.