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The History & Mission of Mercy Center |
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Mercy Center is a center for parents and families in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. Its mission is to provide educational, technical, human and supportive services to women, parents and other family members, empowering them to reach their full human potential, lead meaningful lives, and be agents of change in their families and communities. For more than a decade Mercy Center has intervened in the lives of women and their families and helped them move from isolation to connectedness, poverty to economic self-sufficiency, despair to hopefulness, and violent and oppressive family dynamics to healthy, respectful and mutually enriching relationships. Mercy Center was founded in
1990 in response to the needs of parents living in its inner city
neighborhood. It was originally established as a counseling and support
center to help women deal with stresses in their lives and offer them a
chance to grow towards reaching their full potential. It soon developed
parenting classes, mentoring opportunities, and women’s support groups to
help parents meet the challenges they were facing. In subsequent
years, more programs were added in response to the articulated
needs of the women and families it came to serve. Mercy
Center History 1990 Mercy Center opens in a classroom on September 1st as a counseling center for parents of children in St. Pius V School. Supported by the Sisters of Mercy of Dallas (PA) and New York Regional Communities, it is staffed part-time by the founder, Sr. Mary Ann Dirr, RSM and two volunteer women from the community. Activities include retreat days, parenting classes, support groups for women, various workshops and home visiting. 1991 Staffing grows to 3 part-time people and activities increase as funding is sought from other groups. 1993 The first Family Weekend is held in the early summer. In September the first full time staff person, Sr. Mary Galeone, RSM, joins the three part-timer people at Mercy Center. Spirituality programs expand in the fall and a series in Creativity is added to the roster of programs at the same time. Outreach is extended to four neighborhood elementary schools and the first Annual Appeal is mailed at Christmas. 1994 Mercy Center begins incorporation process in May and adds Leadership Training and Arts workshops in the fall. 1995 Mercy Center is incorporated in New York State in January. Board of Directors adopts By-Laws in May and elects officers in September. Programs require the use of a second classroom in the school in September when the 5th Anniversary is celebrated. Staffing stands at 2 full time and 3 part time. 1996 The first Mercy Corps Volunteer arrives, bringing staff total to 5 full time and 1 part time. Keyboarding and Word Processing courses are added to program listing. 1997 Site committee is established to explore building options, including renting, renovating, or constructing space. A Mercy Associates program is established, allowing women from the community to align themselves with the Sisters of Mercy in a two-year commitment, renewable of shared mission, values, prayer and community under the inspiration of Mother Catherine McAuley. 1998 Board of Directors decides in April to purchase land to construct new building, and site search is undertaken. Business Training classes and tutoring increase skills opportunities available for women. Promotional video is developed and produced. Staff is 8 full time people. 1999 Site is identified and removed from the auction block. Mercy Center is honored at annual Catherine Award Dinner of the Sisters of Mercy. 2000 10th Anniversary of Mercy Center is celebrated in April. Land for new building is purchased from EDC in August, $2.1 million Capital Campaign is launched in September and Groundbreaking for new building takes place in October. Meanwhile, Teen Parenting classes, a Young Women’s Support Group and a Children’s Winter Camp continue Mercy Center’s program expansion. Staff is 8 full time and 2 part time people. 2002 ESL and After-school programs expand Mercy Center’s work with children and the Hispanic community of Mott Haven. Ribbon-cutting for new building takes place in November. Twenty-nine grants from private and corporate foundations provide $390,000 in funds for operating expenses even as Capital campaign raises the money needed for the new building. 2003 Move into new building takes place on a snowy February 7th. Sr. Mary Ann Dirr resigns in June, replaced by a leadership structure of 2 Co-directors. Anger Management classes, ballet for children, partnership with the Fiver Foundation and Movie Discussion Group for women continue Mercy Center’s tradition of creative programming to meet the needs of women, parents and families of Mott Haven. 2004 Staff grows to 10 full time and seven part time people, including 4 full time and 3 part time volunteers. Additionally over 140 people donate time and talents, representing over 5,000 hours of volunteer service. Program hours increase four fold and participant numbers more than triple. Board of Advisors is launched to help create long-range fiscal sustainability to match ongoing activity and program growth. 2005 A foundation launches the Mercy Center Endowment Fund with a five year commitment to a $250,000 matching gift, as a way to contribute to Mercy Center’s long range fiscal stability. The Board of Advisors sponsors the initial Cocktail Party and Silent Auction event at the Park Avenue Country Club in Manhattan, raising over $73,000 for Mercy Center’s operations. Participant numbers continue to increase. Mercy Center undertakes two new program offerings that build on past successes in the fulfillment of its mission: the Family Development Program and the Women’s Job Development and Entrepreneurial Program. 2006 A Job Developer position is added to staff in February and relationships with maintenance companies and neighborhood agencies are established as outlets for employment of Mercy Center participants. The CHAMPIONS program for youth continues to grow, now including over 250 participants in one or more program components; Antonio Banderas visits Mercy Center to join in a House of the Roses dance and drumming session. Volunteer legal help grows to 2 part-time retired lawyers, and overall staff stands at 14 full-time (including 3 volunteers) and 12 part-time (including 9 volunteers). New program offerings include the Capacitar wellness program led by 3 staff members, and Anger Management and Computer Basics courses in Spanish. 2007 Organizational growth is highlighted by the addition of a new position (Associate Director for Development and Planning), assignment of Immigrant Services responsibility to a social worker, and the hiring of a Coordinator of Social Services.
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