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 $10,000 at this year’s walk-a-thon which is co-chaired by Cindy Phelps and Joe Novak. It is so easy to sign up on The Bridge website, download a pledge form and start fundraising. Don’t forget to send out emails to friends and family asking for donations and also post a plea on Facebook that you are walking for The Bridge and ask for support.

Then join your fellow walkers at 9 a.m. at the Community Consolidated School District 15 offices at 580 N. First Bank Drive, Palatine, IL. The walk will go along the walking trail from the library to Palatine Hills Park and back, which is about 3 miles.

Those who raise $50 or more in addition to the registration fee will receive a Bridge the Gap t-shirt. The first 200 registrants will receive a Bridge the Gap water bottle and as a thank you for participating, everyone will go home with a goodie bag filled with donated discount coupons along with other promotional items and snacks from area businesses.

All proceeds from the walk benefit the programs of The Bridge Youth and Family Services which serve six Illinois townships: Palatine, Barrington, Elk Grove, Maine, Schaumburg and Hanover townships with their Crisis Intervention Counseling and Early Childhood Program.

Individual Child and Family counseling is also available to Palatine Township residents as well as a mentoring program for at-risk youth.

So put on those walking shoes, and join all the supporters and friends of The Bridge on October 1, 2011 and meet the mayors of Palatine and Rolling Meadows, the Honorable Jim Schwantz and the Honorable Tom Rooney who will get the walk started.

If walking is not your thing, please donate to the need, either online or send a check to 721 S. Quentin Road, Suite 103, Palatine, IL 60067.

Don’t forget to visit us at: www.bridgeyouth.org