New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


More Than Bootstraps Awarded $20,000 Grant from Focus for Health Foundation

originally published: 07/17/2024

(PASSAIC, NJ) -- More Than Bootstraps (MTB), a New Jersey non-profit organization, has received a $20,000 grant from the Focus for Health Foundation to support its college access and success work in Passaic, New Jersey.

Now beginning its fifth year of programming, MTB employs a near-peer mentoring approach to address the challenges first-generation, low-income students face in accessing and succeeding in higher education. Working with underrepresented students in Passaic, NJ, the organization matches high school students with near-peer mentors – graduates of the Passaic Public Schools currently enrolled in institutions from Dartmouth College to William Paterson University. Led by their college student mentors, MTB High School Fellows follow a curriculum that focuses on education about higher education and financial aid, communication with families, holistic student development, and the promotion of student well-being and agency.

Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities.

“We are enormously grateful for the recognition of our program’s contribution to increasing access to and success in higher education for first-generation college students,” said Audrey Fisch, president of More Than Bootstraps. “We are proud of the work our college students do to empower their younger peers while solidifying their own college-going success. This grant from Focus for Health enables us to sustain our innovative approach.”

More Than Bootstraps is a nonprofit created by educators seeking to level the playing field and remove some of the substantial barriers that first-generation college students encounter in accessing and succeeding in higher education. More Than Bootstraps employs a near-peer mentoring model to create a community of success. College students from the community return to guide their younger peers in the community through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a mentoring cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



Students are selected based on their desire to attend college and their commitment to the program rather than grade point average or test scores. All students in the MTB program receive stipends, laptop computers, and access to emergency resources to help them with the many non-tuition expenses of higher education.

Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities. Interested donors are invited to visit the MTB website.




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info


FEATURED EVENTS

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Miss

Miss Grand New Jersey

Sunday, February 23, 2025 @ 5:00pm
Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
360 Hamilton Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: community


 

Artrageous

Artrageous 2025 - Sensory-Friendly Theater

Sunday, February 23, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: community


 

Stories

Stories of a Lifetime Workshop for Union County Seniors – UCPAC Legacy Arts Club

Monday, February 24, 2025 @ 5:00pm
Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
360 Hamilton Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: community


 

Illusionist

Illusionist Rick Thomas - Mansion of Dreams

Friday, February 28, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: community


 

Giancarlo

Giancarlo Esposito

Tuesday, March 04, 2025 @ 4:30pm
Kean Stage - North Avenue Academic Building
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: community


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info





 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Monmouth

Monmouth County Park System to Hold Summer Job Fair

(TINTON FALLS, NJ) -- Spend the summer working in the parks! The Monmouth County Park System is looking to hire lifeguards, camp counselors, seasonal maintenance workers, and more for June, July and August. Opportunities in the Park System's therapeutic recreation department include camp counselors for special needs camps and inclusion coaches.



Celebrate

Celebrate General George Washington's Birthday with a Revolutionary War Encampment at Dey Mansion

(WAYNE, NJ) -- Step back in time and experience the sights, sounds, and stories of the American Revolution as Dey Mansion Washington's Headquarters hosts a Revolutionary War Encampment in honor of General George Washington's Birthday! Join them on Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23, 2025 from 10:00am to 5:00pm for a weekend filled with immersive history, interactive activities, and family-friendly fun.



Acclaimed

Acclaimed U.S. Presidential Photojournalist Christy Bowe to Speak at Stockton

(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- Get an insider's look into Washington, D.C., from acclaimed photojournalist Christy Bowe, who has covered the past five U.S. presidents. Bowe will speak on Friday, February 28, 2025 at the Campus Center Theatre with moderator Alyssa Maurice, head of research at Stockton's William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy. The event, which begins at 6:00pm, is presented by the Hughes Center. Admission is free.



Pioneering

Pioneering Color & Light Festival to Illuminate Asbury Park

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- On March 21-22, 2025, the historic seaside town of Asbury Park will host the inaugural Color & Light Festival, a groundbreaking event set to redefine the cultural landscape of New Jersey and the Tri-State Area. The festival will transform the façade of Asbury Park's iconic Paramount Theatre with dazzling projection mapping "shows" set to music.



2025

2025 Princeton Festival to Take Place June 6-21

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has announced its performance line-up for this year's Princeton Festival, New Jersey's premier performing arts festival, taking place June 6-21, 2025 on the beautiful grounds of Morven Museum & Garden. The performing arts showcase includes chart-topping hits of music icons, superstar soprano Renée Fleming, songs by Sondheim, a tumultuous opera by Giacomo Puccini, an evening of dance, music of Vivaldi and the Motor City, plus a joy-filled finale featuring the music of ABBA. A Baroque concert and violin recital take place at nearby Trinity Church.