A lifelong advocate for education, the Rev. Scott Donahue is president and CEO of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, a therapeutic home for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, abandonment and emotional trauma. He also ministers at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Parish on Chicago?s Northwest Side, and as the principal celebrant of WGN-TV Channel 9's Sunday Mass at Mercy Home.

Rev. Donahue will present A Walk With My Friend Joseph Cardinal Bernardin on November 19 at Elmhurst College, as this year's Joseph Cardinal Bernardin lecturer.

Since 1887, the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls has provided young people in crisis with the support and guidance they need to realize their own potential and make positive decisions. As the head of Mercy Home, Rev. Donahue instituted The Academy, Mercy Home's in-house education program; oversaw the dramatic expansion of the AfterCare program, which offers lifelong resources and encouragement to Mercy Home's former residents; and has worked to strengthen young people's faith foundations to help guide them throughout their lives.

Rev. Donahue's talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, www.elmhurst.edu/campusmap). Admission is free but registration is requested, at www.elmhurst.edu/tix. For more information, call (630) 617-5186.

Elmhurst College is a leading four-year college that seamlessly blends liberal learning and professional preparation to educate students for life in a global society and help them to reach their potential. Elmhurst College is the one of the Top 10 Colleges in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report; and U.S. News, Money and Forbes magazines consistently rank Elmhurst as one of the Midwest's best values in higher education.