Phonathon November 15 & 16

During the evenings of Tuesday November 15th and Wednesday November 16th The Bridge will be conducting its annual fundraising phonathon. This is an important part of our annual fundraising campaign, and all proceeds support services that help troubled kids and kids in trouble lead happier, more successful lives.

A group of high school students volunteers their time to call people who have made donations to The Bridge in the past. They are not be slick telemarketers, but their passion to help others is evident. We thank them for their help and enthusiasm. If you are called please encourage them, and say “yes” when they ask if you’ll make a donation to The Bridge.

Put on Your Walking Shoes for The Bridge

The third annual Bridge the Gap walk will be on Saturday, October 1, 2011. The walk is appropriately named bridge the gap because it raises funds to fill funding shortages for the programs and services of The Bridge Youth & Family Services.

Building on the success of the 2010 Walk, The Bridge is looking to raise

Bridge Changes at POC

Dear Friend of The Bridge:

By the end of August, The Bridge will reduce its presence at the Palatine Opportunity Center (POC) while maintaining the ability to provide services at that site.

Budget cuts and staff reductions have made it desirable to house all Bridge staff at the Quentin Road location inside the Palatine Township Center. We will continue to

Farewell to Graduating Youth Council Presidents

Graduating Fremd seniors Victoria Moroney, Stephanie Resis, Nicoletta Straub, and Emi Sudo are examples of everything right with kids today. These four young women led The Bridge Youth Council this year, unselfishly giving their time to plan and conduct community service projects of all sorts. The Youth Council chooses their own projects during meetings held at The Bridge Youth and Family Services, planning and discussing ideas generated from within a group of high schools age volunteers. The unselfishness and energy they exhibit is impressive.

CPRT + Parents = An Empowered Child

1 in 5 kids seen at The Bridge have been abused or neglected or has a parent with a history of abuse. That is a high number considering the effects abuse has on children, and the burden of responding (to abuse) puts on hospitals, police departments and Illinois Child Welfare System. An annual child welfare report indicated that reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect cases are increasing. Once abuse occurs the likelihood is that it will occur again unless some new skills and behavior are learned.

Child – Parent Relationship Training (CPRT) is a unique method of parent education that teaches parents how to play with their child in a manner which empowers the child, increases understanding of child development and behavior, and strengthens the child-parent relationship.

President Obama Proclaims January National Mentoring Month

The Bridge has always believed in mentoring. It is one of the many Bridge programs which help at-risk youth as it enhances the lives of the mentors. President Obama proclaims that “mentors steer our youth through challenging times,” and these are indeed challenging times. You can read his inspiring words at Mentor.org and you can always learn more about mentoring at the bridge by contacting Liz Dobrzynski.

Budget Cuts Have Consequences

Over the past year The Bridge received funding reductions from federal, state, and local governments. Donations from the community, and proceeds from fundraisers have increased, bucking the national trend of decreased charitable giving. That is quite a statement about commitment of individuals, and the sensitivity of the community to the important needs met by this organization.

However, the overall reduction in funding has resulted in reductions in staffing. These reductions reduce

Need Grows as Funding Decreases

A study from the Brookings Institute released Oct 7th states what those of us in social services have known for a few years – poverty is growing in the suburbs. The study indicates that the number of poor is growing dramatically in the suburbs and decreasing in cities like Chicago. The suburbs are not as equipped to deal with the increase in people losing their jobs, needing food, shelter, and mental health services. The study indicates that suburban social services agencies are shrinking just as the demand for the services they provide is spiking upward.

We are here serving local residents only, and we experience consequences from the economic downturn. Several suburban agencies, including The Bridge, were not renewed funding from the federal government recently. These funds supplemented state and local funding to serve runaways and homeless youth. In the past year we have received reductions in funding for this service from all; federal, state, and local sources including the United Way.

These cuts have consequences. They reduce are capacity to provide quality care to everyone who requests it. Both English and Spanish speaking staff hours have been reduced. The Bridge remains responsive to community need and effective in addressing concerns shared by schools, police departments and elected local officials; but we are at a crossroads. We need increased support from all sources, including concerned citizen donors or our ability to be responsive as needed will be diminished. Please support The Bridge, or any other vital community agency near to your heart.

This week we will hold our “Bridge the Gap” fundraiser, and soon after, our annual phonathon and direct mail appeal. These events are more important than ever.

Gregg Stockey
Executive Director

Walkers Get Ready

Dust off those walking shoes and come out to support your community and The Bridge with our 2nd Annual Bridge the Gap Walk! Your support demonstrates your commitment to your community and the well-being of its residents. With your participation, we are able to fund

Golf Outing Fundraiser Success

The Peter D. Cunneen Memorial Golf Outing and Spa Day, held on August 9th at Inverness Golf Club, raised $55,000 to benefit children and families served by The Bridge.

Eighty golfers, and forty additional supporters who joined them for dinner, had a great time while