Scholarship Established In Honor Of River Hill High School Grad

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Lance Christopher Mercy Scholar-Athlete Scholarship has been established by his family through the Community Foundation of Howard County, which raises, manages and distributes funds to support Howard County nonprofits. Created in memory of Lance Mercy, a former River Hill High School student, the scholarship will award a minimum of $1,000 each year to a graduating senior at River Hill High School.

Mercy was a defensive end on the River Hill High School football team, which he helped lead to a county championship during his senior year. He also was a key defenseman and defensive captain for the lacrosse team.

“Lance was an outstanding student-athlete at River Hill High School,” Brian Van Deusen, a math teacher and head football coach for the Riverhawks, said in a press release. “As a starter on the varsity football and lacrosse teams, he demonstrated strong leadership qualities and a great work ethic both on the field and in the classroom. Lance was always enthusiastic during practices and strived to be the best player he could be.”

Mercy graduated from River Hill High School in 2018 and had just completed his sophomore year at Florida State University, where he majored in accounting and professional sales, when he died in a car accident in May 2020.

“Lance had such positive experiences both academically and athletically at River Hill,” his mother, Tricia Mercy, said in a news release. “We knew we wanted to honor his memory by establishing a scholarship that would benefit future Hawk scholar-athletes. Lance’s involvement in the River Hill football and lacrosse programs helped shape him into the confident, hardworking young man we all loved and enjoyed so much. Our family recognizes the lifelong values that team sports provide and the importance of a high-quality education. We are proud to remember Lance in a way that will help future River Hill athletes reach their educational goals.”

Mercy’s parents, Jeff and Tricia Mercy, established a temporary memorial fund at the community foundation. A temporary memorial fund provides a grieving family a place to direct tax-deductible donations in memory of a loved one. The foundation invests the donations, handles the accounting, provides tax receipts to donors and contributes the accumulated funds to a qualified nonprofit organization under the family’s direction at no charge. Mercy’s family and friends contributed the $20,000 minimum to convert the memorial fund into a permanent endowed scholarship fund.