A newly established donor recognition program, the 1899 Society, will recognize those who helped raise a record $1.2 million to advance Mercy College of Health Sciences’ mission of transforming students into successful health care professionals, the organization announced. The program was launched during the inauguration of Dr. Adreain Henry, Mercy College’s fourth president. It has 23 founding members, including Joyce and Terry Lillis, who made the largest gift in the college’s history to form the society. The funds raised will benefit Mercy College students and the campus community by supporting facility improvements as part of a master campus plan currently under development. The 1899 Society extends the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy, who established the Mercy Hospital Training School in 1899 to meet the growing demands for professionally trained nurses. For more information, visit their website.

Editor’s note: The headline and first sentence of this story were updated to reflect that the 1899 Society is a donor recognition program and the $1.2 million was raised by the college.