Supporting the arts is the Jersey Shore Arts Center's #GivingTuesday drive this December

#

##

Contact:

Nichole Nappi

Jersey Shore Arts Center

732-502-0050

nnappi@jerseyshoreartscenter.org

Jersey Shore Arts Center Celebrates GivingTuesday with JSAC Holiday Fund Drive, joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement on December 1, 2020

Ocean Grove, November 20, 2020– This GivingTuesday, Jersey Shore Arts Center will inspire generosity by raising funds for our capital projects and 2021 programs.

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on December 1, 2020, and throughout the year.

Though the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) was closed to the public from March to late August, the organization has not sat still.

- JSAC raised over $2,500 during the month of May of this year.

- We partnered with local community groups and assisted with programs that supported people in need.

- JSAC raised $1,200 to produce a Free Halloween Trunk or Treat event and Outdoor Movie that communities were able o safely gather and participate in.

- JSAC completed its restoration project of the West and East Buildouts, refurbished the outside marquee sign panels and provided affordable studio and performance space to local artists and performers.

“The most important mission of the Jersey Shore Arts Center is to engage the community with the importance of the arts to society.” - Nichole Nappi, Executive Director, Jersey Shore Arts Center

GivingTuesday was launched in 2012 as a simple idea: to create a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

People demonstrate generosity in many ways on GivingTuesday. Whether it’s helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving to causes we care about, every act of generosity counts. GivingTuesday has raised billions of dollars for critical causes around the world and gets 21 billion impressions on social media from people and organizations speaking up for the causes that matter to them and encouraging others to get involved in their communities.

"GivingTuesday inspires people all around the world to embrace their power to drive progress around the causes they care about, not just on one day but throughout the year." said Asha Curran, GivingTuesday’s CEO, and co-founder. "With country and community leaders, millions of organizations, and countless givers of all kinds, GivingTuesday is creating a shared space where we can see the radical implications of a more generous world."

Those who are interested in joining the Jersey Shore Arts Center’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit https://www.jerseyshoreartscenter.org. For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit the GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday on Twitter.

About Jersey Shore Arts Center

Originally built in 1897, the “old” Neptune High School was regarded in the 1906 World’s Fair as an “Architectural Splendor.” The building was abandoned in the early 1980’s, falling into disarray over the years from non-maintenance. In 1997, the Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Society, Inc. led by Herb Herbst and Senator Joseph Palaia, took over this Historic Site with a grand vision for the dilapidated structure: to renovate this historic gem and create a cultural arts center for the Jersey Shore. The restoration happened mostly by the help of volunteers scraping, painting, and doing most of the construction themselves. By 2000, the first floor opened with newly renovated rooms, studios, and a wonderful theater. Restoration efforts of the second and third floors followed allowing for additional studios, common areas, kitchen and dining room, and smaller theater.

Currently, the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) uses the “old” high school classrooms as studio space for artists and educators, boasting over 16 art studio residents, an in-house theater group, and many community groups that call our building home. Our goal is to provide significantly affordable work space for artists and educators and create a supportive community to cultivate their work and education efforts. The JSAC makes sure that all who apply for residence provide a unique art form, to ensure diversity; and most importantly, have an energy and spirit which will help nurture the community of which they are a part. At the moment, our residents artistic offerings include the visual arts (painters, screen printers, wood cut, sculpture, photography and graphic design), music instruction and instrument repair, a dance company and yoga studio. All residents are arts-based small businesses renting space from the JSAC and have found success within our community to date. There's no doubt that increased building accessibility will help many of these businesses to flourish.

Our 600 seat Joseph A. Palaia Theater is one of the crown jewels of the building, playing host to a full schedule of theater productions, dance shows and various musical acts. Regular and annual events that the public attends including the hosting of local music schools and high school performances that provide additional monies for restoration and renovation projects. To allow an opportunity to host smaller audiences and help develop performances and performers, we opened the 75 seat Herbert G. Herbst Theater on the 3rd floor in 2014. Our various shows in our theaters provide fun for every age.

Since Herb Herbst’s passing last June, the organization’s board president is Melinda Kelley, plus 7 board members and executive director, Nichole Nappi, continue to reach out to community businesses and residents to acquire monetary sponsorships, donations and volunteers thus carrying on Herb’s mission: to create a community-based performing arts center that encourages equal opportunity for people of all abilities.

About GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity and equity around the globe.

###