News
Asbury Park's Sisters Academy: "What Mercy Is All About"
By Ryan Fennell
ASBURY PARK - In 1986 the Sisters of Mercy purchased and renovated 1106 Main Street in Asbury Park and incorporated under the title of Mercy Center.
Nearly 25 years later, Mercy Center has grown to become a lifeline for members of the community in need.
According to Tiffany Walsh, Director of Donor and Public Relations, Mercy Center primarily operates on three tiers.
The first being Mercy Center's emergency services program where people can go for food from its food pantry and be directed to the proper programs for continuing support. The emergency services component also helps those families or individuals in need of financial support such as help with utility bills.
Mercy Center also provides the community with a family resource center, which is designed to help keep families together with social workers that offer free counseling, free anger-management classes, and free parenting classes.
According to Walsh, New Jersey's Department of Children and Families Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) often direct clients to Mercy Center.
"We're trying to create a wraparound of services here for when people fall on hard times," Walsh said.
The third component of the Mercy Center is its Sisters Academy middle school for girls, grades five through eight.
"It's an eleven month extended school day program," Walsh said. "It's really an amazing model and we're really excited because we're in the midst of construction to expand the school."
Sisters Academy purchased a building on Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park.
"(Springwood Avenue) has been known for the riots and the desperation that is around there," said Walsh. "They keep talking about Springwood redevelopment. Well, back in April we were the first project to break ground and say we're making a change."
"We're going to take on the responsibility to educate our girls and be a ray of hope for the community," continued Walsh. "It will not only be a great place for our girls to get a well-rounded education but also a place for the community."
According to Walsh Mercy Center is funded completely by fundraising efforts and by members of the community and does not receive any state funding for its programs or its school.
"We're only here because of the support of the community," Walsh said. "We fund raise a lot so we really depend on people learning about us and if they can't donate funds, advocacy or anything that can help get our mission out there is what's going to make our dreams a reality."
Brian George, owner of Northshore Menswear in Sea Bright, recently launched a fundraising effort to help benefit the Sisters Academy and their current project to expand the school. On November 30 and running through December 11, George will donate 15 percent of purchases made between 6pm and 8pm to Mercy Center's efforts to expand the Sisters Academy.
While the new building is under construction and renovation, the current learning space in the existing Sisters Academy building has become very limited. The multi-purpose room is currently being used as a gymnasium, cafeteria, the mathematics classroom, and for various other purposes.
Jennifer Sudin of Adrenaline gym in Sea Bright has been conducting gym classes for the girls at Adrenaline free of charge in order to accommodate the school's expansion and renovation.
"It's people like Brian and Jennifer and anyone who's willing to advocate or anyone willing to support the organization," Walsh said. "People like Brian and Jennifer thinking outside the box in ways they can help. Without people like that being advocates for us we'd be at a loss."
According to Walsh, Sisters Academy does more than just teach the basics to its students.
Sisters Academy holds a program on most Friday mornings known as Life Skills. Life Skills consists of programs that reflect on the subject matters of respect, service, compassion, justice, and integrity and is based on the values of the Sisters of Mercy.
"The thing that makes it neat is that it's one of the few times all of the grades get together and they start bonding with that sisterhood vibe," said Walsh. "You start seeing fifth graders looking up to eighth graders. This is not just a school. This is really a second home for these girls."
Walsh said that Sisters Academy accommodates 60 girls at any given time of the year and is designed for girls that come from economically challenged families that need extra attention and extra support.
"We have a full-time social worker at the school who addresses all of their needs," Walsh said. "When we do programs like Life Skills it kind of starts stripping away those protective layers they put on themselves to really kind of open up to who they are."
According to Walsh it costs Mercy Center $10,000 per student per year to operate. Families are asked to pay only $800 per year for their child to attend the school and Sisters Academy pays the difference, which amounts to approximately $500,000 per year.
"It's really all about believing in Asbury Park," Walsh said. "People are given the tools to be self-sufficient. We're not putting a band-aid on it. We're giving them the skills so they can stand on their own two feet. People believing in them is what showing mercy is all about."
Walsh said that once the new building is complete the school would be more accommodating to the students and their learning environment. Walsh also said the plan is to continue to use the current all-purpose room to expands its social services programs for the community.
