BRiDGES
AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM COMMITTED TO THE LONG TERM SUCCESS OF BALTIMORE CITY YOUTH
BRiDGES
BRIDGES IS COMMITTED TO...
The long term success of motivated Baltimore City youth. Life changing volunteer opportunities for independent school students.
HISTORY
Bridges was founded in 1993 as a summer program for 18 elementary school students from a Title One School in East Baltimore. It has expanded significantly since that time in an effort to ensure that the motivated young people that enter the program in elementary school have the on-going support and guidance to become the future leaders our society needs. As of winter 2014, the program works with 160 Baltimore City youth ages 9-18 through its site at St. Paul’s School and each year engages 130+ volunteers, 100+ funders, 42 program partners, and seven feeder elementary schools. A second site is opening at Gilman School in the summer of 2014.
THE BALTIMORE CITY STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Students enter Bridges in the summer after third grade via the Bridges Summer Institute. Following that first summer in the program, students receive access to a longitudinal support network that includes:
ELEMENTARY + MIDDLE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
Five-Week Summer Institute Spanning grades three through eight (six total summers)
Paid Summer Jobs, SAT Prep, Writing Classes + Speakers During high school summers
Weekly After-School Programs In the winter and spring of grades four and five
Weekend Mentor Gatherings Each year from ninth grade to twelfth grade
Middle School Placement Support During the fall of fifth grade
One-on-One Guidance Meetings Each year from ninth grade to twelfth grade
Weekend Mentoring Gatherings Each year from sixth grade through eighth grade High School Placement Support During the fall of eighth grade
Supplemental Academic + Social Support On an as needed basis Scholarship Opportunities Supporting post-high school education
OUR BALTIMORE CITY STUDENTS Meet Stephon The year he was supposed to be in the third grade, Stephon stayed home. His mother was ill at the time, and the neighborhood school was full. The next year, he was selected to participate in a summer enrichment program at St. Paul’s School. He loved it so much that he cried the last day. These tears were shed in 1999, at the conclusion of Stephon’s first summer in Bridges. After graduating from St. Mary’s College, Stephon received his master’s in journalism from Columbia University and then moved to Washington, D.C. for a position with CBS news.
OUR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS Meet Jesse As his college graduation approached, Jesse was thinking a lot about what he wanted to do with his life. His mind kept turning back to a pivotal experience from his past: the years he spent volunteering at Bridges. Jesse volunteered in Bridges from the summer after his freshman year at St. Paul’s to the summer after his freshman year in college, by which point he was the head counselor. Upon graduation from Vanderbilt, he taught physics at Mergenthaler VocationalTechnical High School through Teach For America.
TUTOR
COUNSELOR
High School Students* Become an after-school tutor
High School Students* Become a counselor in the Summer Institute
The Bridges After-School Program for fourth and fifth grade students has a winter session and a spring session, and requires 30 high school volunteers per season.
Every summer, 35 high school students give about 90 hours each as counselors in the Bridges Summer Institute.
Adults Tutor a high school student When Bridges high school students need support in their classes, we look to you to help them find it. If you have academic expertise in a subject like Algebra II, Calculus, Spanish, Chemistry, Physics, or Writing, let us know—we’d love to get you involved. * High school volunteer opportunities are for students attending Bridges host schools.
Building futures with strong foundations
Counselors help: • • • •
Assist in the classroom. Chaperone field trips. Coordinate special activities. Serve as role models to Bridges students.
MENTOR Adults Become a weekend mentor Bridges recruits six new weekend mentors each year. • •
A six-year commitment, including five mentor trips per year. Provides busy people with a chance to make a difference in the lives of young people.
JOB PROVIDER Organizations Provide a summer job to a high school student Join the ranks of 18+ for-profit and non-profit organizations that provide 40+ Bridges high school students with paid summer jobs and a view into careers of interest. Summer job opportunities change lives, and we are always looking for more opportunities for our students.
Help us empower the leaders of the future
INVEST
Your support and involvement makes Bridges possible
Invest in the Bridges annual fund Bridges has 100+ donors who make annual gifts ranging from $10–$49,000. As the program grows, so too must our support. Please consider investing in our students by making a gift at: www.bridgesbaltimore.org
VISIT Visit a Bridges program Please email Rob Paymer to coordinate a 45-minute visit. Two popular visits include: Elementary After-School Program: Visits take place November through May on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. Elementary and Middle School Summer Institute: Visits take place in July on Monday and Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons.
PLAY Sponsor and/or play in the Bridges Kickball Tournament Every fall, the Bridges Kickball Classic raises funds and awareness for the program. Grab a few friends and become one of the 130+ players ages 8–60+ that participates in this annual event. Tournament sponsorships are also a great way to show your support of Bridges.
HOST Host a dinner for Bridges Raising awareness is instrumental to the long-term success of Bridges. Do you want to share Bridges with friends and family? A small educational dinner is a great way to get others involved and can easily be coordinated.
For more information regarding these opportunities, please contact Executive Director, Rob Paymer at: rob@bridgesbaltimore.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Paymer, Executive Director 410.821.3058 or rob@bridgesbaltimore.org bridgesbaltimore.org facebook.com/bridgesbaltimore