Mercy Center Awarded $10,000 Grant from National Endowment for the Arts to Support Arts Education at Sisters Academy

ASBURY PARK, N.J. - Feb. 10, 2025 - PRLog -- With each graceful twirl, a group of middle school girls at Sisters Academy of New Jersey move in harmony to the soft strains of classical music, their ballet instructor from the Princeton Ballet School offering gentle encouragement.

This weekly dance training, along with music and visual arts programs at the middle school, has earned financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which recently awarded Mercy Center a $10,000 grant for its array of arts education.

Mercy Center is one of only 17 organizations in New Jersey selected to receive this competitive funding—its first-ever grant from the NEA. The support will allow the organization to enhance arts education at its tuition-free middle school serving girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in greater Asbury Park.

"We are honored to receive this support from the National Endowment for the Arts," said Mercy Center's Executive Director, and former Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. "The grant affirms the importance of the arts in education and will allow us to further enrich our students' creative experiences."

Mercy Center's selection for this grant underscores the importance of its efforts in providing transformative educational experiences for underserved students, increasing their chances of graduating from high school, attending college, and securing jobs that put an end to generational poverty.

Guadagno takes pride in the Sisters Academy 100 percent graduation rate from high school, with 92 percent of alumni pursuing higher education.

Sisters Academy Principal Tom Bugliaro emphasizes the importance of arts education for all students, especially those from financially challenged backgrounds. "For many of our girls, this is their first formal introduction to the arts. It enhances focus, improves critical thinking, fosters teamwork, strengthens self-discipline, and ultimately builds confidence—helping them shine."

The confidence that students gain in their weekly arts education programs, from learning to play violin to expressing themselves through hip-hop dance and visual arts, carries over into every aspect of their lives, Bugliaro added.

"We're looking forward to sharing the girls' creative talents at musical performances throughout the school year and at our dance show in the spring," Bugliaro said.

In addition to the tuition-free, faith-based, dual-accredited middle school, Mercy Center operates a bustling food pantry in Asbury Park that nourishes more than 100,000 people and provides extensive multi-lingual social services to strengthen families. All services are provided at no cost.

For more information about Mercy Center's Sisters Academy or other programs and services visit its website, www.MercyCenterNJ.org.

About Mercy Center
Mercy Center, founded by the Sisters of Mercy, is a nonprofit charitable organization working to break the cycle of generational poverty in the greater Asbury Park area. Our food pantry nourishes families, caring programs and services help stabilize them, and our Sisters Academy provides a quality education to put an end to the cycle of poverty, one child, one family at a time. To donate, volunteer or learn more about how we empower, enrich, and educate the people we serve, visit www.MercyCenterNJ.org.