Bridge Communities / Charitable Giving

Bridge Communities image

By HM staff

We were delighted to hold a series of events this year, using outdoor and socially-distanced formats, as well as hybrid and virtual events. These activities continued to forge connections between the courageous families we serve and the compassionate individuals in the community who journey alongside our families and help empower them to achieve success. In June, we launched our first Wine Women & Shoes event, which had been delayed for a more than a year due to the pandemic. We were thrilled to debut this long-awaited afternoon at Ruth Lake Country Club, where guests enjoyed a high-energy fashion show, shopping, raffles, auctions, wine tastings and so much more—all to benefit the families served by Bridge Communities. The event raised an unprecedented $215,000 and we are looking forward to holding this event once more in Spring 2022! In 2022, we plan to evolve our housing portfolio and program services to develop a service model to stabilize families in a shorter timeframe and serve as a bridge and/or feeder into our Transitional Housing Program. Our employment services programs will formalize education and training options for non-traditional and tradesman job opportunities. We are continuing to host continuing education for our volunteers via our Mentor University classes. These classes have included topics such as Motivational Coaching, Mentoring During COVID-19 and more. We hosted a virtual volunteer appreciation event, One Heart, One Bridge. We connected with mentors via town-hall meetings to gather insights and recommendations for program evolution. And, we’ve recently created a full-time Volunteer Coordinator staff position, which will increase our engagement with our volunteers in the coming year!

*Photo provided by Bridge Communities

Author

Photo-1-Lauren-Lakeberg-at-Pine-Nursery-Bend-OR-e1715530979167

Lauren Lakeberg blends a love of photography, nature, and disc golf to create a niche business

Mertz-and-Mochel

Anchor on Main Street: Remembering Mochel’s Hardware

mwh-1677

Dr. Karen Wolowick & Dr. Susan Mitchell

2-Michael-Halkias1167-copy-e1715529845934

Dr. Michael Halkias – Naper Grove Vision Care

DG-BEAM

Beaming on the Beam: Three DG gymnasts finish in the top 10 in the state balance beam event

Roger-Bain_Photo-2-e1715528742214

Three local authors work themselves into three interesting and diverse book genres

laura-tang-9AwSPN41C8U-unsplash

The Thrill of the Dill: The unexpected rise of Pickleball

Parrillo-Spring-Break-WDW-e1715457158113

Vacation Mode: Local readers out and about on spring break

Untitled-1-e1715456166797

Center Stage: Dan Aykroyd at Oakbrook Center’s Wonderverse

DSC_4021

DuPage Pads

1.-Guiding-Dg-Kick-Off-Celebration-Residents-Rich-and-Debbie-Barker-display-their-input-postcard

Guiding DG Kick-Off Celebration

Priority-3-Photo-e1709411820253

Roadrunners Soccer Club