Bridges to a Brighter Future

When Seeds Sprout

2011-10-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have a saying, "Sometimes the seeds we plant take longer to sprout than we want them to." When working with young people, this could not be more true. I and the many people who work in Bridges to a Brighter Future are constantly planting seeds. Maybe it is an encouraging word, advice, mentoring, support, or one of our programs. We plant these positive seeds in students everyday, with the goal that the seed will grow positive outcomes. When I see students going through struggles, facing challenges, or making wrong decisions, it is hard to exercise patience in waiting for the seed to sprout. I see where they could be headed and worry the seeds planted will not be fully realized. However, after being the director almost eight years and working with many students, I have observed that the seeds do eventually sprout. It just may not grow as fast as I would like it to.

I am thinking about this today as I look at the Facebook page of one of our graduates, Jose. Jose graduated from Southside High School in 2009. When he came to Bridges, he was painfully shy. He did not say much to anyone but you could see, way deep down inside, he had a lot going through his mind. He and his single mother came here from Colombia, S.A.. Unfortunately, his mother married a man who was just not a nice person. There was a lot of verbal abuse and Jose was told all of the time, by his stepfather, that he would not amount to anything. Therefore, it was no surprise that Jose was introverted and kept to himself. The Bridges program worked to help Jose build his confidence and overcome his shyness. He grew so much in the program! One of the things about Jose is that his inside thoughts, aspirations, and dreams were always bigger than what his personality projected. For example, he would be the last person I would think would want to go to Adventure Camp, a week-long adventure program we provide for Bridges students through Clemson's Youth Learning Institute (CYLI). However, when we asked who wanted to go, Jose raised his hand and he went! He mountain biked, repelled down a waterfall, and slept under a tarp. There was so much more inside him than he allowed others to see. It broke my heart to talk to him and hear about his step-dad. The anger his step-dad projected on him was unbearable to listen to, let alone live with. Here is Jose, this tender, sensitive, amazing young man, being told he is "nothing" on a daily basis. His step-dad ended up getting injured at work and was disabled. This made everything worse for Jose and his mom. Jose's dream was to go to a top tier college for Science and Technology. I thought this was a very big dream, but Jose was very smart and it was possible. Jose enlisted everyone he knew to help him get into college. Jose may have been quiet, but he was very resourceful! He had the people from CYLI write a letter of recommendation, I wrote a letter for him, as well as many others. On his own, he researched financial aid, even emailing me scholarship information to pass along to the Bridges students. He wanted it so bad! We were thrilled when in his senior year, he was admitted to Cornell University!!!!! Wow, this was so amazing! You could see in his eyes the joy, relief, and pride in this accomplishment. I remember him coming to my office in his Cornell t-shirt! I took a picture of him (I can't find it now) and shared in the joy. It was so amazing. The seed was sprouting.

Unfortunately, during this time, Jose's step-father's condition worsened. He was diagnosed with ALS and Jose could not go to Cornell because he needed to stay home, work, and help his mom. After the high of being admitted, this was devastating. However, Jose never let the dream go. He deferred his admission and stayed in Greenville to help his mother. One year later, in September 2010, Jose's step-father passed away. This opened the door for Jose to finally take care of himself and realize his dream.

On April 3, 2011, I received this email from Jose:

I know that I haven't kept in touch as I should have and for that I am sorry. You were an integral part of my life for three years; you helped me accomplish so much and I was too quick to distance myself as I often do. I wanted to let you know how much I value the support and advice that you have given me over the years and tell you what's going on in my life. You may have been aware that my stepfather was very ill. He was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). His condition worsened rapidly. He passed away on September 6, 2010. At the end, he couldn't perform even the most basic functions and relied on my mom to help him. I helped him only occasionally because I still felt some resentment towards him. I think I've forgiven him though. After his death, my mom and I traveled to Colombia. We stayed there with my uncle and grandparents for several months. My mom and I were very happy to be with them again. We hadn't seen them since 2007. After getting back from Colombia, I've been getting ready to go to Cornell this fall (yes, finally). I'm currently awaiting my financial aid award letter, applying for some scholarships, and looking for a job to gain some experience too.

Thank you, Jose

Tears came to my eyes after reading this email. Wow. Two full years Jose waited. How many people do you know who just give up at the first challenge? So many people just let their dreams go, never realizing them because they were not patient enough for the seed to grow. Sometimes the seeds we plant take longer to sprout than we want them to. Jose never let his dream go and now he is a freshman at Cornell! He attended a summer adventure program through Cornell with other freshmen and is enjoying all that campus life has to offer. While Bridges played a role in Jose's life, Jose played an even bigger role. I believe it was his determination, faith, and perseverance that made it happen. Jose credits God and the help of others in his success. He states:

It was knowing that God was guiding me through these trials; I always knew that everything would be alright because God was watching over me. Even in the saddest times, I could see a bright future, in which all the things leading up to it, And I feel so blessed because He put people in my path, you, Mrs. Swartz, and so many others, to help me along, to offer support and so much more.

We can plant the seed, but the student has to care to that seed and ensure it sprouts. We (Bridges) cannot do it all. Ultimately, the student has to take the final steps to realize his/her dreams. We love you Jose and are so very proud of you!

Bridges Students Volunteer at Furman Fall Fest

2010-11-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

After every Saturday College program that meets once a month, we participate in an afternoon activity. Those activities have ranged from movies to college tours. This past Saturday, October 30, we volunteered to assist the Furman Heller Service Corps in their annual Fall Fest program. Almost 30 of our students stayed to volunteer for Fall Fest! Fall Fest is an annual event for children from neighboring elementary schools. The campus is set up like a carnival complete with bouncy blow-up tents and cotton candy. I was SO PROUD of the Bridges students who did a great job monitoring the bouncy toys. We even had a group of students help with the "Harry Potter" themed room. They were "death eaters" and made the Harry Potter room a ton of fun! Way to go Bridges!

Bridges 2010 Kick-Off

2010-07-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Written by:

Aleen Sepulveda & Jarrod Hall

Bridges Interns

So far Bridges has had an AWESOME start! Everybody is pumped up and ready for all of our activities we are doing. The Xi class kicked off the summer by breaking through their odstacles in life to reach their goals with Justin Boudreau.

The Mus and Mus reconnected with each other by doing many activities that involved being able to remember things about each other's lives and interests. After all of the ice breakers, the classes began.

In English they have been learning how to give positive and negative feedback on films. The Math teachers have been teaching about how to make a car payment and the value of owning a car. In science they have been learning about the enviroment. About recycling, natural resources and their values and limitation on them. In social studies they learned how to manage a budget on monthly payments and other economic uses. In college planning the Mus have been learning how to fill out a college application and practicing the SATs while the Nus and Xis also learn about the SATs and how not to waste your time on anything.

All of our students are having a real fun time with all of their electives and evening activities that hey signed up like photography, mock trail. Girology, Fitness Center, E-field, Step Team and so much more.

In addition to having great teachers, our counselors are phenomenal! Many of them are doing more than their job description requires. They are teaching afternoon electives and evening activities.

The field trips are also a blast in both the Xi class and the Mu and Nu class. While the Xis all have fun by going to field trips around Greenville like in the Upcountry History Museum, BMW, the Children Museum and even a Scavenger Hunt, the Mus and Nus were off touring around different colleges like Winthrop, USC Upstate, Erskine, and Presbyterian College. Even on the weekends they are all busy as well. The Xis built trust and communication with each other in activites like the Rope Course. The Mus and Nus performed community service with local non-profits. They cleared Kudzu in the Sterling community, cleaned yards with Central Community Ministries, renovated North Greenville Food Crisis Ministries, and planted trees with Trees Greenville. Eric Bonini, a volunteer coordinating the efforts in the Sterling community stated the following about the Bridges students, "please accept my resounding THANK YOU for the amazing work your students did on Saturday morning. They were fun, unbeat, enthusiastic, hard-working, motivated... the list goes on and on! They really were a pleasure to work with, and I'd love to have any student associated with the Bridges program join us in future activites at the Sterling community site."

As a reward for all of their hard work on the ropes course and in community service, the students were rewarded with dinner at Hibachi Grill and a trip to Pump it UP! Everybody had a great time and they all also really starting to connect with one another for what ever they need.

Bridges is such an amazing program for everybody here that I can not wait for the next two weeks; it will be amazing and unforgetable.

Bridges Students Achieve Success!

2010-05-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

At least every week, I receive a call, Facebook message, or email from our Bridges students with enthusiastic news about a success they had, an award, or something good that happened. Is is almost too much to keep up with. This is GREAT because it means that our program works! All of the time, effort, and resources we invest in our young people is working because they are achieving despite the challenges they face. Here are a few of our recent student achievements:

Tobias Going to Palmetto Boys State
Tobias was selected for Palmetto Boys State! About every year we have at least one of our students selected by their high school to attend Palmetto Boys State. Last year it was Alton, a student at Carolina Academy. This year, we are very proud to share that Tobias, a student at Hillcrest High School is attending Palmetto Boys State. Tobias is a phenomenal young person, with a good heart, strong work ethic, and desire to succeed.

Rodrick Graduates from Youth Leadership Greenville

Rodrick recently spent the last year participating in the Greenville Chamber of Commerce program, Youth Leadership Greenville. Through YLG, he grew as a leader and learned a lot about the community in which he lives. Rodrick made an impression on the other students in Youth Leadership Greenville, as he was selected to be one of the Graduation speakers. He is pictured here giving his graduation speech and receiving his certificate. Rodrick attends Hillcrest High School.

Angel Selected to be a Junior Marshall
Angel, a student at Travelers Rest High School was selected to be a Junior Marshal for Graduation. This is a huge honor as only those in the top ten of the Junior class are invited to serve in this capacity at graduation. We are very proud of Angel for all of her hard work resulting in this academic honor!

Lambda Class is On Track for College

Our Lambda class is set to graduate from high school June 3-4, 2010. What is phenomenal, is that 100% of them will be graduating from high school and 100% of them have been admitted to college or the military. This class of Bridges graduates have been admitted to the following colleges: Greenville Technical College, Columbia College, Clemson University, Winthrop University, Lander University, Benedict College, University of South Carolina Upstate, Furman University, Anderson University, Wake Forest University, New York University, The Oxford College at Emory, TCTC Bridge to Clemson program, Ohio State University, and Johnson & Wales. Way to go Lambda class!

Benefit Concert for Bridges to a Brighter Future

2010-03-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

Music on a Mission in association with Hunter Broadcasting Group presents the first annual Ovations1, a benefit concert for Bridges to a Brighter Future to be held April 24 at 7:00 p.m. at The Handlebar, Greenville, South Carolina featuring Mystic Vibrations and True Blues. Tickets are $10.00 and are available for purchase at: http://www.handlebar.musictoday.com/.

Music on a Mission is the "brain-child" of two Furman students, Ivan and Maggie Mathena. Music on a Mission seeks to support the educational attainment for under-resourced young people through programmatic support and scholarships. Ovations1 is the first of many benefit concerts. One-hundred percent of ticket proceeds will benefit Bridges to a Brighter Future.

Purchase Tickets at: http://www.handlebar.musictoday.com/

Click Here to Join the Ovations1 Facebook Group

Bridges Family Weekend

2009-11-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, October 31st, the Lambda class was honored during halftime at the Furman vs Appalachian State football game. The Lambdas, pictured below, graduated from the Bridges program this past summer. Dr. David Shi, president of Furman University, and Dr. Gary Clark, Director of Athletics, congratulated the students as they stood on the field and were applauded by all of the football fans.

Saturday was Bridges' first annual Family Weekend. The day was sponsored by Furman University Athletics department and by Michelin. Bridges held a tailgating tent outside of the soccer stadium from 10am until kick-off at noon. The students were encouraged to bring their family and to stay for the football game to watch their peers receive such a tremendous honor.

Although the day was dreary, with on and off rain throughout the tailgating and game, approximately 140 students and family attended. Brunch was catered by Sticky Fingers and was delicious.

Thanks to all supporters and fans of Bridges to a Brighter Future, the program is able to touch so many lives because of your kindness. Many thanks to Herb Johnson, Director of Community to Relations at Michelin. This event allowed students the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and to receive the satisfaction they deserve!

What, Two Weeks Over Already???

2009-06-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

As you know, we are now halfway through the 12th Bridges to a Brighter Future summer program! It has been an exceptional two weeks, with lots of exciting things happening in every aspect of the program.

In the classroom, the students have learned about everything from how dancing relates to math, debating hot topics without speaking, learning about natural disasters, and writing in fun and engaging ways.

We've already been on two field trips. Wednesday, the older students got the opportunity to tour USC. Afterwards, the girls went to Columbia College while the guys toured the football and baseball stadiums at USC. The Nus visited St. Francis and United Way, and were treated to Spill the Beans after Larkins!

Highlights of the program during the last two weeks include the kickball tournament, pool party at the President's House, Career Night, and Bowling.

We can't wait for the students to return Sunday! Many more exciting things are planned; another field trip, the Fourth of July celebration, and the end of the year trip, which is still a surprise! Hope everyone catches up on sleep :)

What a Weekend!

2009-06-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

The first weekend at Bridges was a blast! The weekend began Friday night with the kickball tournament, which was really fun, really hot, and extremely humid. Later, the students had movie night in Burgess Theatre, where they watched Transformers and had the "real feel" of a live movie theater, with popcorn, soda, candy, etc.

On Saturday, everyone got up early, had breakfast on the hall, and divided up for the different activities planned. The Lambdas and Mus split up into four different groups, and left campus to complete community service. This year, the organizations that Bridges students volunteered for were: Safe Harbor, Diligent Hands Gracious Hearts, North Greenville Food Ministry, and Stephen's House. The students spent a good portion of the day giving their time in order to help others.

The Nus, though, stayed on campus and went through the Furman Ropes Course--which every first year class goes through. The day began with icebreakers and teambuilding activities. After lunch, the students began the high ropes course. Their were three different options for the students, and most completed all three. The most appealing, the tight rope shuffle, was quick and fairly simple. The most nerve racking, the paper pole, had everyone holding their breaths. The students worked together well and cheered each other on in order to show their support. Each learned something new about himself/herself.

Saturday night was bowling at the Wade Hampton alley. Everyone had lots of fun and many strikes and spares were made. Saturday was a very eventful and enjoyable day!

On Sunday, the students were given the chance to sleep in a little before parent visitations began. Most students left campus with their families to eat out and pick up essentials for the next three weeks. After the students returned, everyone shuttled over to the President's House, for the annual pool party. The day ended in the parlors with a game/movie night.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-06-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday was field-trip day! The two older classes, Lambdas and Mus, split up for their first college tour, with half visiting the Greenville Technical College campus and the rest staying at Furman, touring the dorms and buildings and getting insight from faculty and staff. The students met for lunch and then headed off to Anderson University.

The Nus, on the other hand, spent the day in downtown Greenville, learning the history and completing a scavenger hunt. Mr. Grills, art teacher in the program, lead a tour at the Upcountry History museum. Also, the Nus toured the Greenville Drive stadium and were able to walk on the field. The students really enjoyed the day, a big favorite being lunch at Mellow Mushroom.

All of the kids arrived back on campus in time for dinner. They then had a little relaxation time before Evening Activities. Another long and exciting day down, many more to go!!!

Off to a Great Start!

2009-06-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Bridges students checked-in Saturday, with the two older classes (Lambdas and Mus) arriving between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., and the Nu class all getting moved in exceptionally early and on time!

The Lambdas and Mus left before meeting the new students; they headed off to the Leadership retreat at the YMCA Camp Greenville location near the North Carolina border. The students hiked their way to camping grounds and went through many icebreakers and team building routines--a Bridges tradition.

As the older classes were heading off, the Nus started pouring in, and were enthusiastic about the four weeks ahead of them. The Nus had a while to get settled in before they headed off to their own set of icebreakers and team building routines with Justin Boudreau, an acclaimed author and motivational speaker.

Upon the return of the Lambdas and Mus Sunday evening, they joined the Nus, spending Monday with Mr. Boudreau. Now you may think that 3 days with one person can be a little dry, but not with this guy. Each student really enjoyed the different activities that Mr. Boudreau planned for the program.

After a day inside with Justin Boudreau, the classes went out to E-field for a few more icebreakers to get to know one another. The event ended with a massive square dancing routine that the Lambdas and Mus learned on their retreat and taught to everyone else.

Tuesday was the first day of classes. The students spent 50 minutes in each class: Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, and English. This year, the Bridges program welcomes a couple of new teachers: Ms. Jada Kidd and Cara Mathis (English), and Mr. Bobby Black (Social Studies).

After classes, the students attend electives of their choice, which include Pottery, Men of Honor, Ladies of Distinction, Forensics, Theater, Documentary Film Making, and Music and Video Production.

In the evenings, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the students continue with activities of their choice, participating in several different electives.

Bridges 2009

2009-06-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Bridges to a Brighter Future 2009 summer program began just a few days ago for the students, but Bridges staff and counselors have been on campus a little longer...

On Sunday, June 7th, the counselors checked in, excited to meet the newbies and eager to find out what was in store with training and meeting new students. Needless to say, little sleep was gotten (if any at all) during that first night. But hey, they were just preparing their bodies for the next few weeks of late nights and early mornings.

Counselor training started at 5 o'clock Monday morning, with everyone loading up and heading out to Charleston for sea kayaking. The counselors were gone for a day and a half, and when they returned each had enough bug bites to play connect the dots (at least 3 games worth)...guess the Off! didn't affect the bugs this year.

Training continued throughout the week with CPR certification, conflict resolution, etc., etc., etc. With check-in getting closer and closer, the counselors and Mrs. Swartz were getting more and more eager to see the students, and rushing to get the last minute details done. The residence halls were coming together amazingly, with each based on a different television station--From ESPN to GSN, and then Discovery Channel to MTV...no time for commercial breaks in between.

With just a few hours left before the students arrived, everyone decided to get at least a few minutes of sleep for the weeks ahead.

Bridges Receives National and Local Awards

2009-05-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

EXCELLENCE IN SUMMER LEARNING AWARD
On Thursday, April 16, Bridges to a Brighter Future was awarded the Summer Excellence Award by Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning! This highly competitive national award recognizes outstanding summer programs that demonstrate excellence in accelerating academic achievement and promoting positive development for young people. The Excellence in Summer Learning Award seeks to find and draw national attention to exemplary programs which provide and expand access to high-quality summer learning experiences for all young people. Eighty programs across the country applied for the prestigious award.

“Bridges to a Brighter Future stands out as an exemplary summer learning program, especially for teenagers,” says Ron Fairchild, executive director of the National Center for Summer Learning. “The program builds academic success, self-confidence, leadership, resiliency and life skills. It tries to meet individual student needs and creates a culture of high expectations. This program is a perfect example of the kind of educational innovation that closes the achievement gap.”

Click here to read the special winner's bulletin.

Pictured are Bridges director, Tobi Swartz, and Bridges graduate, Casey Crisp holding the Summer Excellence Award at the National Summer Learning Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

At the Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner held on Tuesday, May 5, Bridges to a Brighter Future was awarded for their outstanding achievement in promoting diversity in the Upstate. The program received the Diversity Leadership Award as an Outstanding Non-Profit organization. Bridges works very hard to develop diversity understanding within the students and promote diversity within the program. Bridges creates young diversity leaders who influence their peers and change the world! Click on links for articles about the award:

Greenville News

GSA Business

Pictured from left to right: Harvey Choplin (Summer Academic Coordinator), Linda Cook (Program Assistant), Chris Cunningham (Student), Tobi Swartz (Director), Karina Rodriguez (Student), Jarrod Hall (Student), Bashia Gandy (Student), and Aleen Sepulveda (Student).

The Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards are presented by The Riley Institute at Furman University.

READER'S CHOICE AWARD
Friends, supporters, and partners united together to nominate Bridges to a Brighter Future for the Giving Back Award, sponsored by G-The Magazine of Greenville and The Community Foundation of Greenville! Of all of the non-profits and individuals nominated, G received the largest number of nominations for Bridges to a Brighter Future! Therefore, on April 23, Bridges was awarded the Reader's Choice Award at the Giving Back Awards Gala.

Thank you to all of our wonderful friends, supporters, and partners for nominating us for this award! We are so thankful for you!

Pictured at the Giving Back Awards Gala from left to right: Dr. Brad Bechtold (Director of Continuing Education), Tobi Swartz (Bridges Director), Bobby Black (Bridges Teacher), and Linda Cook (Program Assistant)

See a clip of the special award presentation to Bridges to a Brighter Future:

For My Students...

2009-04-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

I will miss seeing you today! Here is a video to bring Chicago to you. The video from the award is not that great-I should not have given Eli the camera (smile)!

Reader's Choice Award!

2009-03-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our many supporters who wrote letters to G-The Magazine of Greenville, Bridges to a Brighter Future received the Reader's Choice Award! We are featured in the March/April Issue of the Growing by Giving Annual Guide to Charitable Events insert. Bridges will be recognized at the Giving Back Awards on April 23. Thank you supporters and G Magazine! Thank you also to our staff and students who work hard to have a phenomenal, life-changing program!

Thank you Michelin!!!

2009-02-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Michelin North America sponsored a very special event for Bridges to a Brighter Future on Saturday, February 14, 2009. Michelin purchased 100 tickets and provided pizza for Bridges students and families to attend the Furman v. Davidson Basketball game. Our students and families were very excited to attend this event together, as well as celebrate 10 graduating classes of Bridges to a Brighter Future. This event followed our monthly Saturday College program.

Bridges to a Brighter Future received special recognition at halftime. On the court to celebrate this recognition was Mr. Herb Johnson of Michelin North America, Dr. David Shi, President of Furman University, Dr. Gary Clark, Furman Athletic Director, Tobi Swartz, Director of Bridges to a Brighter Future, and nine Bridges graduates who are now enrolled at or have graduated from Furman University, Rosa Rivera, Dean Bailey, Victor Orozco, Cierra Riddle, Casey Crisp, Jorge Jimenez, Giovanna Gomez, Bree Alexander, and Sebastian Barbosa.

Here is a picture of Mr. Herb Johnson with the students:

The announcement made at halftime was:

Today Furman University is celebrating 10 years of graduates from the Bridges to a Brighter Future program. Bridges is a college-access program for high school students in Greenville County whose potential outdistances their circumstances.

Bridges began in 1997 and the first class graduated from the program in 1999. To date, 174 students have graduated from Bridges to a Brighter Future. 100% of those students graduated from high school and over 92% enrolled in colleges and universities in the State of South Carolina and beyond.

On court today to celebrate the life-changing impact of this program are: Dr. David Shi, President of Furman University, Furman Athletics Director Doctor Gary Clark, Herb Johnson of Michelin North America and Tobi Swartz, Director of Bridges to a Brighter Future. Joining them on-court are the Bridges graduates who are now enrolled at or have graduated from Furman University. Please welcome:

Rosa Rivera
Dean Bailey
Victor Orozco
Cierra Riddle
Casey Crisp
Jorge Jimenez
Giovanna Gomez
Bree Alexander
Sebastian Barbosa

Michelin North America is committed to education and particularly increasing the educational attainment of students in Greenville County. Michelin North America is proud to support this life-changing program and the program graduates who are making their dreams come true through higher education. Many of those graduates are attending today’s game as guests of Michelin North America and the Furman Paladins. Let’s give them all a big Furman round of applause for a job well done.

THANK YOU MICHELIN! This was a wonderful event for our families and we appreciate your generosity! Here are a few pictures of our families enjoying the game:

Lakeshia Ellis Recieves MLK Scholarship

2009-01-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

Bridges Student, Lakeshia Ellis was awarded the Coretta Scott King Scholarship at the MLK Dream Weekend Diversity Banquet on Friday, January 16. She will use this $2,000 scholarship at USC Upstate this Fall 2009.

We are very proud of Lakeshia. She is a survivor! She endured great challenges as a young child to succeed as a young adult. She attends Carolina Academy where she is enrolled in dual credit college classes, is on Student Government, and maintains a part-time job. She is in the top ten of her class and is determined to succeed! Congratulations Keshia!

Pictured with her mom, Barbara Ellis:

Video of the award presentation:

Tymeco Gregory: A Leader on the Field and In the Classroom

2009-01-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

Bridges student, Tymeco Gregory was one of five offensive lineman selected for the 2008 Associated Press South Carolina All-State High School Football Team. Ty is a Senior at Greer High School and graduated from Bridges in Summer 2008. He was an amazing Bridges student! Ty was on the Bridges Leadership Team and was selected as one of the Co-Valedictorians of Bridges.

The Greenville News published an article on December 23, 2008 about Ty's selection for the All-State Team. Here is an excerpt from the article written by Bob Castello:

Gregory, who played in the North-South all-star game, helped the Yellow Jackets to more than 400 yards rushing per game. Greer coach Will Young called Gregory "one of the finest offensive lineman I've had the pleasure to coach." "He's not only a good football player, but he's a good person and a good student," Young said. "He's probably one of the best all-around kids we've got in the school. If you asked any of our players who our leader was, they'd tell you it's Tymeco Gregory."

We agree! As a student in Bridges to a Brighter Future, Ty carried himself with integrity, superior maturity, and character. He was held in very high regard by the faculty and counselors. Ty was also highly regarded by his Bridges peers. As a result, they selected him for participation on the Bridges leadership team. I worked closely with the leadership team throughout the summer. My respect for Ty grew daily as I witnessed him single-handily manage very difficult situations with maturity and sensibility. For example, the other males on his hall had gotten a little out of hand one night and did not respect the counselors’ directions and discipline procedures. The next night, Ty held a student-only meeting where he requested his fellow hall mates to respect the counselors, follow the rules, and make good decisions. It is very difficult to stand in front of your peers and tell them what to do, especially when you are telling them to “be good.” Ty is exceptional! We can't wait to see how he uses his leadership skills in college and beyond.

The Gift of Bridges to a Brighter Future

2008-12-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

I am often asked, "How much does it cost to run the Bridges program?" It is easy to provide a dollar figure and to even break it down by student. However, it is more difficult to express in words or dollars the profound gift that is, "Bridges to a Brighter Future." It is a gift not only for the participants, but also for all those involved with the program. Teachers, Counselors, and Donors often communicate that they get more out of being involved with Bridges then they feel they could ever give. I too have found myself wondering how I got to this position. The place where you have the opportunity, each day to pour life into a young person. It is challenging and sometimes heartbreaking. However, the pure joys and triumphs outweigh the challenges. In the end we are giving something much greater than any amount of money can define. We are giving vision, hope, strength, determination, love, and support. Take a moment to view the testimonies below. They are our gift to you.

Three Bridges Faculty are Teachers of the Year

2008-11-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

We know that all of our Bridges to a Brighter Future teachers are amazing! There is now doubt about it. However, it is really wonderful when other people recognize their talents too! Three of our Bridges teachers have been recognized as 2008-2009 Teachers of the Year at their schools. They are Harvey Choplin, Cathy Grills, and Allison Turza:

Harvey Choplin, Sevier Middle School
“Pa Pa Chop” as the Bridges students refer to him, is our Academic Coordinator. He has worked with Bridges since 2002. In this position, he oversees the daily academic classes, supervises the teachers, and plays an integral role in decision-making and program management. Mr. Choplin graduated from Claflin College in with a B.S. in Mathematics and Science. He has a Master’s Degree from Furman University in Education with a concentration in Mathematics and a Master's plus 30 hours from Furman and Clemson University in Administration. He spent eighteen years teaching mathematics in high school and thirteen years in administration before retiring and returning to teaching. He currently teaches at Sevier Middle School.

Cathy Grills, Duncan Chapel Elementary
Mrs. Grills has been teaching in the Bridges program since 2002. She has been a teacher in Greenville County for 26 years. She began teaching Spanish and English at Parker High School in 1973 and from 1980 until 1983, she taught at Woodmont High School. At both schools she was the Student Council Advisor. Mrs. Grills has been teaching at Duncan Chapel Elementary for 19 years and was named 2008 Teacher of the Year. She has a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education, both from Furman University and is certified to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Mrs. Grills teaches English in Bridges and provides special assistance to our ESOL students.

Allison Turza, J.L. Mann Academy

Mrs. Turza has been teaching in Bridges since 2005. She teaches Science in Bridges to a Brighter Future and is always thinking of ways to engage and excite the Bridges students. Miss Turza is in her seventh year of teaching, of which 3 years have been at JL Mann High School. She teaches not only science, but leads Senior Project for Mann's magnet students and teaches in the newly formed Single Gender Initiative Program. She also advises several student groups including YMCA Youth in Government and Patriot Partners, a mentoring group, which she began last year. Miss Turza was just featured in City People.

Not only have three of our teachers been recognized this year, but some of our teachers have been recognized in past years. They are:

Pat Grills, Riverside High School
2007-2008 Teacher of the Year
2007-2008 Greenville County Teacher of the Year Runner-Up

Kinja King, Greenville Technical Charter High School
2007-2008 Teacher of the Year

In His Own Words...Daniel Leagans

2008-10-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Daniel Leagans, a Senior at Furman University has been a Counselor with Bridges since his Freshman year. He was first introduced to the program through his brother Joel who also served as a Bridges counselor for four summers! In addition to his academic success, Daniel is a member of the Furman Football team. Last week there was a really nice article in the Sports section of The Greenville News about Daniel and his integral role on the Football team. The interviewer began to ask Daniel a series of questions regarding his experiences outside of Football. Below is an excerpt of the article written for The Greenville News by Willie T. Smith III.

A business administration major, Leagans has found a passion off the football field. Since coming to the school he has participated in a campus mentoring program geared toward at-risk high school students called "Bridges To A Brighter Future."

"It is an enrichment program for Greenville County high school kids," said Leagans, a Ware Shoals native. "It teaches them the importance of a college education and that college is feasible for them because a lot of them come from bad economic situations, lower income, and a lot of them have family problems.

"The students participate in a four-week program at Furman during the summer. They take classes during the day. Then, after the classes is when myself and other counselors have activities with them such as sports, acting and stuff like that."

On weekends, the counselors take the students on fun trips such as bowling. They also take part in community service projects. Leagans has been taking part in the program since his freshman year and has enjoyed it so much he is considering participating again this summer even though he already will have earned his degree.

"It has been amazing, the most meaningful experience of my life," he said. "We try to develop the kids, but what we find out is they teach us more than we can ever teach them."

Daniel with two of the students he has mentored through Bridges to a Brighter Future.

Bridges Student Wins National Award!

2008-10-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Bridges to a Brighter Future student and Greenville High School & Academy graduate, Damaris Taylor received the Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community on October 14, 2008 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

I traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the awards luncheon. It was a joyous occasion as Damaris' mother Tameka was able to attend as well. Through the luck of the draw, we were all seated at the head table with Japan's Ambassador to the United States, Ichiro Fujisaki, Dr. and Mrs. Tsutomu Kanai (pictured above on the right), the Honorary Chairman of The Hitachi Foundation and Chairman of the Board and Director of Hitachi, Ltd, Barbara Dyer, the President and CEO of The Hitachi Foundation, and Dr. Bruce Maclaury (pictured above on the left), Chairman of the Board of The Hitachi Foundation. It was so rewarding to observe Damaris interacting with these noteworthy individuals. He communicated with such ease, professionalism, and enthusiasm. He is truly a gifted young man!

Damaris was awarded the Yoshiyama Award for his work in creating and implementing the Raider Diversity Retreat. In addition to team building and challenging rope course exercises, the three-day retreat also included candid discussions designed to generate easy to implement solutions to break down barriers in the students' high school and community.

Over 250 students were nominated for the Yoshiyama Award. Damaris was one of only ten students selected as finalist. The award is funded by the Hitachi Foundation and is named for Hirokichi Yoshiyama, the former President & CEO of Hitachi, Ltd.

Of course the highlight for Damaris' mother and I was to see Damaris accept his award and give his acceptance speech. Below is the video of Damaris being introduced by Denise Terrazas, a 2007 Yoshiyama Award winner and his awe-inspiring speech.

Bridges Family a Part of the United Way of Greenville Campaign

2008-08-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

Bridges student, Jamie Williams and her family are part of the 2008 United Way of Greenville Campaign! Each year, a select number of individuals or families are selected to serve as spokespeople for the United Way. In addition to being a part of Bridges to a Brighter Future, Jamie and her family received assistance from the Greenville Area Inter-Faith Hospitality Network, also known as GAIHN and Jamie also participates in another United Way funded program through the Phyllis Wheatly Community Center. Jamie is a wonderful young woman! She is a student at J.L. Mann High School and we are very proud of her!

Bridges Students Go to Adventure Camp!

2008-08-15T20:37:00.001-07:00

Through a partnership with Clemson University's Youth Learning Institute (YLI) and the Cliff's Communities, 12 Bridges students received the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in a ten day Adventure Camp! In the late Winter, YLI approached Bridges to continue a partnership already established with The Cliff's Communities to utilize Pinnacle Falls Camp, a beautiful mountain camp near Rocky Bottom, SC. The partnership included scheduling an Adventure Camp solely for Bridges students and providing team building for the Bridges counselors.

One day after the four-week Bridges program ended, I drove the lucky group of 12 students up to Pinnacle Falls camp. The group was familiar with Pinnacle Falls, as this is the location of our highly regarded Fourth of July celebration. The students really did not know what they were getting into. Being a person who spends time in the outdoors, I don't know if I would have even committed to spending seven days in the woods! However, I knew that they would be able to overcome any challenge they would encounter! They are Bridges students!

After seven days, I went back to get the students and they ran to the van they were so excited to see me! They were even more excited to tell me about the life-changing experience they received through Adventure Camp! Once they left Pinnacle Falls after a day of training, they mountain biked, canoed, and hiked for seven days! When asked what part they liked the most, they said, "all of it." The YLI staff was exceptional! They took time and care to teach, lead, and nurture our Bridges students through the experience. I was most impressed when the students told me that they repelled down a waterfall! How cool is that?

This opportunity was made possible by YLI providing a 1/2 scholarship for each student and generous donors providing support through Bridges to a Brighter Future. They wonderful staff at Clemson's YLI have issued a press release recently published online through The Greenville News. We hope to continue this partnership next year.

In addition, we are working toward expanding post-Bridges opportunities for our wonderful students. We have a partnership with Furman's Science Department through a Howard Hughes grant to provide paid research opportunities next summer to Bridges students (more to come on this). We also hope to implement an entrepreneurial expansion next summer as well.

A Little Late...But Still Acceptable

2008-07-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since the last update! There was a dance, a car wash, talent show, field day, trip to Myrtle Beach, the Banquet and so much more...

Although the students are home now, we'll still update you on what happened during the last two weeks of Bridges.

Starting with the CAR WASH

On Saturday, July 5, the three classes had three separate car washes. The car washes lasted for only a few hours, but in such a short amount of time, the Mus, Lambdas, and Kappas raised well over $2000, with the Kappas winning the CAR WASH CHAMPIONSHIP by raising a new Bridges high of a little over $1000!

After the CAR WASH was THE DANCE

The Dance was Hollywood themed and everyone from Demi Moore to Napoleon Dynamite showed up for the event (and we have pictures to prove it!). The annual Bridges Dance was a great hit among the students and counselors...we even found a few teachers enjoying themselves.

Next we will skip to FIELD DAY

Bridges has a lot of annual activities that the students love...take FIELD DAY for instance. Everyone loves pie on the face and running around in circles after a go on the dizzie bats. I mean who doesn't love passing a soaking sponge over your head or the good ol' three legged race? Field day was extremely fun and very entertaining!

What's Bridges without the TALENT SHOW?

BRIDGES HAS TALENT. Every single student, each counselor, every teacher, and even Mrs. Swartz has talent! The talent show was amazing! We had The Interns performed their very own, originally choreographed version of a recent hit. Casey Crisp did a very dramatic interpretive dance routine of the song Landslide. Jarrod Hall and Karina Rodriguez had a somewhat romantic (haha) duet. The Ladies of Distinction and Men of Honor both recited awesome poetry. And not to mention all the EXTREMELY EXCELLENT performances in between...

And the annual TRIP is always much anticipated

The students woke up VERY early for the trip to Myrtle Beach. The day began with a college tour of Coastal Carolina. Later the students went to the beach where they had a blast until the storm came. Oh how it rained... An hour on the bus waiting for it to pass, but hey who says you can't have fun on a bus full of wet and sandy people? Well Bridges always manages to have fun in most UN FUN situations. Each student contributes their share to make Bridges the amazing program it is...And it all paid off with dinner at Golden Coral and their all-you-can-eat-buffet.

The BANQUET is always full of super speeches and lots of tears

Bridges' last night at Furman is dedicated to the graduating class. Everyone looked so nice and the keynote speaker, Gio Gomez, had some very well received advice for the Bridges students. Almost every student got an award during the academic award ceremony. Then the tears came...The Kappas did an amazing thing. Each stood at the podium and presented Mrs. Swartz with a rose, along with a glance at what Bridges and Mrs. Swartz has done to better his or her life. Then they gave Mrs. Swartz a blanket embroidered with "If you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love" by Mother Teresa. Mrs. Swartz then ended with her speech dedicated to the Kappas--WHAT AN AMAZING SPEECH! The Banquet ended with all the students gathered around the front watching the Slideshow and a video for the Kappas, put together by Thomas Dixon.

The next day was DEPARTURE

Although it was sad to see the students go, they have benefited tremendously from this summer.

EACH ONE WILL GO FORTH AND DO GREAT THINGS!!!

You Want Pictures?

2008-06-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

Well we got 'em!!!

These Weeks Go By So Fast!

2008-06-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

GLENIS REDMOND made a Bridges appearance this summer, teaching the students how to express themselves on paper through their poetry. Glenis is a nationally renowned performance poet who is a Bridges favorite, appreciated by not only the students, but by the teachers, counselors, Mrs. Swartz, and visitors to the program. Having her for the two days she visited was definitely a high for the summer.

The Poetry that was written by the students during Glenis' visit was performed and each student was given the opportunity to share his/her work of art. The Bridges students are, to say the least, VERY TALENTED!!!

Wednesday, the students went on their weekly fieldtrips. The Kappas and Lambdas had their college visits while the Mus toured St. Francis Hospital.

The two older classes went to Spartanburg Methodist and USC Upstate yesterday and, once again, had their clipboards and "College Scorecards" ready to rate the schools to suit their likings. The day comprised of a tour of USC Upstate, lunch at Upstate, tour of Spartanburg Methodist, ice cream at Dairy Queen--yep we spoil 'em--and dinner at Furman. Another long day with great rewards.

While the Kappas and Lambdas were touring colleges, the Mus were touring St Francis. Their day consisted of St. Francis employees speaking about the different aspects of a hospital system. Lunch was at 33 Liberty, which is highly recommended. After lunch the Mus returned to St. Francis for a tour and more speakers. The St. Francis staff gave excellent presentations, which were greatly appreciated.

Friday the students will be going home for the weekend and returning on Sunday for the annual Cultural Dinner. The dinner is designed so that the students are able to taste a little of each other's culture and learn about the dishes in doing so.

Time goes by so fast at Bridges, it's always amazing how quickly the weeks go by. You know what they say, "time goes by faster when you are having fun!"

What a Weekend!!!

2008-06-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday...

Well! Saturday was the start of a GREAT weekend. The Lambdas and Kappas had their first community service projects of the summer. Some students stayed on campus for a scavenger hunt with a group of kids from the local YouthBASE program, which is a 501©3 nonprofit organization in Greenville, SC, with the mission of increasing support for children at-risk for or experiencing behavioral difficulty through after-school and summer programming. Others had a "bakin' good time" making cookies for the Furman staff involved with Bridges. A group of students went off campus to the North Greenville Food Crisis Ministries, where they helped remodel and were greatly appreciated. Another group went to A Child's Haven where they did yard work, spreading mulch.

The Mus had their own Saturday of fun, working on team-building and leadership skills. You've probably guessed already if you are a frequent Bridges Blogger--ROPES! Every year the new students go through the Ropes Course, where they overcome fears and work together in doing so. It was an awesome experience that can only be seen to get the "real feel."

After all three classes had their fair share of Ropes and services, everyone headed downtown where they had a picnic in the park. Later, counselors, Mus, Lambdas, Kappas, and Mrs. Swartz headed across the street to the FYI center (Furman YMCA Interactive) to dance, sing, play Guitar Hero and listen to a Christian rock band. After ROCKING OUT, Bridges headed over to the Warehouse Theater for a private show.

A long day no doubt, but no complaints.

Sunday...

POOL PARTY!!!

Pretty much explains itself, huh? Sunday, was the pool party at the President's House. Everyone enjoyed the day.

What an AMAZING weekend!

College Visits and a Scavenger Hunt

2008-06-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the students had a day away from the classes to focus on the other aspects that the program offers. Everyone boarded the buses at the Chapel and went their separate ways.

The Mus began their day downtown, where they visited the Upcountry History Museum and Mr. Grills, Bridges art teacher, gave a WONDERFUL presentation on the history of Greenville. Next, the Mus went to the Greenville County Museum of Art. After that they headed out to Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery. With all the touring and artwork, everyone worked up a huge appetite, so everyone took a break to have lunch at Bertolo's (amazing pizza). After lunch the Mus had a scavenger hunt--Mice on Main--which used team work and problem solving skills to win the prize. After the scavenger hunt, the Mus went down to the Greenville Drive Stadium where they toured inside and out, went down into the dugout, and saw the Green Monster. A long day, no doubt.

On the other hand...

The Kappas and Lambdas went on their first college visits. First, they headed to Winthrop University. With their College Profile Worksheet in hand, they rated the college to fit their likings. After lunch on campus in the Thompson Cafeteria, the Kappas and Lambdas boarded the bus to go to Lander University to tour the campus and evaluate the college. With a good day of touring in, the Kappas and Lambdas headed back to campus.

Bridges Begins with a Bang

2008-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, what's better than spending your summer working and watching television? BRIDGES!

On Saturday the 14th, Furman was swarming with the new and returning Bridges to a Brighter Future members. At 8:00, our first arrivals, the Kappas and Lambdas, began checking-in and unloading the necessities for their four-week experience. Food, clothes, drinks, steroes, more food, and more clothes; the returning campers made sure they forgot nothing at home this summer.

Everyone was so excited about being with their Bridges family for another summer of FUN! After the Kappas and Lambdas dumped everything in their rooms, they loaded on the bus and headed off for Lutherock.

Next, the "check-in staff" awaited the arrival of the new members--the Mus. With a whole new wave of enthusiasm, everyone was shown up to their rooms and found out who they would be rooming with. The Mus boosted the energy level another notch and kept up with the excitement of the older members.

Although the new and returning students were seperated, both had somewhat similar days. Icebreakers and team-building workshops helped bring the classes together.

Looks like the prediction was right--this is going to be a GREAT summer!

Bridges '08 "Under Construction"

2008-06-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well after months of anticipation, it is down to the final week before the start of Bridges to a Brighter Future 2008. Mrs. Swartz's office is crowded with the new and old materials for the start of the program. The teachers and counselors are preparing for their summer "adventure." And training has begun.

The counselor's began their training Monday at Pinnacle Falls. Once there, they hiked 7 miles to get to their campground, where they collected water and purified it, cooked their meal, and set up their tents. Not to mention all the Off! that was used to keep the bugs--well--OFF!

On Tuesday, the counselors repeated much of the same process for breakfast (minus the hike). Another 7 miles were conquered, but this time by canoe. Wow! what a workout.

So, with all of this activity, you could say that this is most likely (definitely) going to be an amazing summer. We can't wait for the Kappas, Lambdas, and Mus to arrive Saturday. Last one to check in is a rotten egg! :)

Bridges High School Graduates Achieving Great Things!

2008-06-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

In addition to have 100% of the 2007 Bridges graduates going to college this fall, we also have several who have achieved some pretty incredible accomplishments!

Erik Smith, a graduate of Berea High School, was just recognized by Greenville County Schools (see press release) for twelve years of PERFECT ATTENDANCE! Erik is graduating in the top five of his class at Berea High School and will be attending Clemson University in the fall. Erik is a wonderful person and was an awesome Bridges student. We could always count on him to be a phenomenal leader and role model in the program. Erik attended Boys State his Junior year and was a committed member of the Berea High AFJROTC. He took numerous AP classes and was a member of the National Honors Society. Perfect attendance! Way to go Erik!

Hilary Rampey is graduating from Woodmont High School with an International Baccalaureate Diploma on June 5th as VALEDICTORIAN! Obviously, Hilary has had a stellar academic career at Woodmont. She was heavily involved with Marching Band, Symphonic Band, and Chorus. She was president of the Beta Club and National Honor Society as well as a Girls State nominee. Hilary is going to be a student at Furman University this fall and we are very excited to see what her college achievements are going to be!

Bridges to a Brighter Future About Providing Love

2008-03-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Published in the Greenville News on February 25, 2008

By: Tobi Swartz, Director of Bridges to a Brighter Future

I am often at a loss for words when a friend or neighbor asks, “What do you do at Furman University?” There is no word or sentence that accurately describes the profound experience called, “Bridges to a Brighter Future.” When I attempt to describe the program, I always begin with, “Bridges to a Brighter Future is a pre-college, academic enrichment program for Greenville County high school students whose potential outdistances their circumstances.” People are always interested in the phrase, “potential outdistances their circumstances.”

Lately, to change things up, I have described Bridges as a college access program. However, the reality is that no words I creatively blend or brainstorm will ever fully describe the “experience.”

One of our 75 amazing students recently stated in a speech about Bridges, “You know how sometimes you can’t explain something because you just have to be there to experience it? That is exactly how I feel about Bridges.” It is true. To best understand the program, you have to be there.

So I am left standing in front of interested people, searching for the words to describe something that is indescribable. Even when I engage someone enough to capture their interest in the program, they look at me with blank eyes trying to make the connection. It is hard for people to understand that for me, being the director of Bridges to a Brighter Future is not a job; it is a ministry of love.

On February 1st I reached my four-year anniversary working with Bridges to a Brighter Future. While I feel like I am still fresh, have unlimited ideas to implement, and lives to touch; I also feel as though I have walked a million miles and have given unconditionally all that I have to give. I had no idea when I started this position that I would come into the calling that God bestowed on my life. I now understand that he has called me into a ministry of love.

A Bridges parent once asked me, “How do you do it?” I knew exactly what she meant by this question. In these five words, she was really asking how I find the energy to love, counsel, mother, inspire, mentor, motivate, instruct, educate, and hold accountable 75 at-risk teenagers. When I really think about it, it even overwhelms me to think about the magnitude of this responsibility. I surprised myself when I responded without hesitation to her question, “Love.” Really, it was the first thing that came to mind, “Love.” I could not do this work if it were not for the overwhelming, overpowering, and overcoming love that God has placed in me.

This one word, “love,” has so much power. Mother Teresa said, “If we love until it hurts, there will be no more hurt, only more love.” Can you imagine a world where we love rather than tear down, hurt, and abuse? A world where our teenagers do not separate themselves in cliques and put down others perceived to be lesser than. This world does exist, it is called, “Bridges to a Brighter Future.” The Bridges faculty, counselors, and students pour so much love into each other that it heals the hurt these students have endured from their difficult lives.

A Bridges student recently stated, “The love you get in Bridges, I can’t explain it in words. The love is real. Everyone loves you; they love you for who you are, no matter what. I was hurting so bad before I came to Bridges. When I came to Bridges, they just loved on me until I couldn’t hurt anymore.”

So when someone asks me, “What do you do at Furman?” All I can do is smile, knowing that I will not be able to express in a sound bite the experience or the love. Maybe I should just say, “I love until it hurts.”

Bridges Student Damaris Taylor is Making a Difference at Greenville High Academy

2008-03-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

Bridges student Damaris Taylor is a force of nature. Everyone around him is influenced by his energy, power, and presence. When we first met Damaris, we knew that there was something special about him. He had a twinkle in his eye and a special something that we call, "potential." Damaris is the oldest of five children. His mom was 15 when she had Damaris and was a single mom for quite a few years. Damaris is the spitting image of his mom and considers her his closest confidant. There are few conversations I have with Damaris where he does not say, "I was talking to my mom about..." Damaris and his mother have a very close relationship.

While Damaris came to Bridges with a solid support network we felt as though he had untapped potential and lack of knowledge about the educational system and college. When Damaris applied for the Bridges program, he wrote in his essay, "Students my age may life a better life than mine and never notice that their parents made sacrifices in order to allow them to have the luxury they have, but I do realize those sacrifices. When I reach my goals I will have completed them most of all for myself, but also for may mom, dad, and grandparents who didn't have the chances to excel in this society to their highest ability."

As a freshman at Greenville High Academy, Damaris excelled in the classroom, but lacked the confidence outside of the classroom. Damaris was involved in a few activities, but did not see himself as a leader. He two closest confidants his freshman year were friends Luis Gonzales and Dean Bailey. All three of them applied for the Bridges program and were accepted. They were very close, eating lunch together and spending their free time together. I was always amazed by their friendship because Damaris is Black, Luis is Hispanic, and Dean is White. When most teenagers only hang out with people that look like them, these three broke the mold.

Damaris came to Bridges for the first time in the Summer of 2005 as a member of the Iota class. The Iota class was and continues to be a dynamic class (Most of the students in the Iota class have already been admitted to college). When Damaris came together with the other Iota class members, there was an explosion. They all fed off each other. They found power and inspiration in knowing that they all lacked resources but possessed unlimited power and potential. Damaris was definitely a leader among the group. Their collective energy was amazing. Several of the veteran Bridges faculty stated, "The Iotas are special, there is just something about them."

At the end of the four weeks, Damaris went home with a new vision for himself. He went back to Greenville High and was elected Sophomore class representative. As he went through his sophomore year, second summer at Bridges, and junior year growing from his experiences. Bridges helped him grow in leadership and confidence. He participated in Youth Leadership Greenville and after Bridges in the summer of 2006, the Bridges program accessed donor Stewart Spinx to help Damaris go to Washington, D.C. for a student leadership conference. With all of these collective experiences and growth, combined with Damaris' innate abilities, he decided to run for student body president. This was going to be quite a competition because he was running against a popular, well known young woman. The student body at Greenville High saw what we saw in Damaris: vision, enthusiasm, and voice. They elected him student body president and he hit the ground running from his first day in office. Damaris can look back at his senior year and list pages of accomplishments. Among them, leading the student body in raising a record amount of money during their spirit week competition.

However, last weekend Damaris did something very special and will be the one accomplishment that defines his tenure as president: The Raider Diversity Retreat. The idea for the retreat came from several areas of inspiration. As a freshman in high school, Damaris endured racial slurs and was and continues to be a minority in his classes. He has observed divisions within his school that hinder student growth and progress. After witnessing and living in the diversity of the Bridges to a Brighter Future program, he realized that their is power in "difference" and that he could bring about change in his school. He took some of his Bridges experiences and workshops, and combined them with what he saw another high school implement, and he created a vision for the Raider Diversity Retreat.

Damaris promoted his vision to Community Leader and Riley Institute Senior Associate, Calder Ehrmann. Calder told some of his friends and colleagues about the retreat and raised $6,000 for the retreat. Damaris called upon people in the community that he had met in Youth Leadership Greenville and other activities to serve as chaperones. Damaris created an agenda, workshops, and secured a location, the Clemson Outdoor Lab. He worked with the Greenville High Graduation Coach to select students to participate. This vision was manifested in a three-day overnight retreat at the Clemson Outdoor Labe fore 30 DIVERSE Greenville High students from 9, 10, 11, and 12 grade. They were a cross-section of the segregated groups that exist at Greenville. For three days, they communicated with each other and ultimately created a vision and plan for how they can collectively change the environment at Greenville High to be more inclusive and unified.

Reflecting on the weekend Damaris stated, "Getting these diverse students together sparked something in them. They are empowered and excited. People at school are noticing it. It is very important for them to be inspired. Over the weekend, they came to the point where they realized that it is O.K. that we are different. It is O.K. to share ideas with each other, accept one other rather than tear each other down."

We are immensely proud of Damaris as we are all of the Bridges students! He as applied to Harvard, Emory, Furman, and several other colleges. There is no doubt that he will take his energy and vision to these colleges.

You never ever know how Bridges is going to inspire, change, or motivate a student. It happens in different ways for different students. For Damaris Taylor, Bridges developed his leadership and confidence, and gave him the experience of a multicultural environment and the power in unity. You also never know what the "trickle down" effect is going to be. Sometimes Bridges students take what they have learned home and inspire and support their siblings, parents, or other family members. Sometimes they inspire their friends to make good decisions and go to college. In Damaris' case, he has inspired the entire Greenville High student body!

Pictured here are the Greenville High Academy students on the Raider Diversity Retreat. In addition to Damaris, three other Bridges students attended the retreat, Luis Gonzales, Ashley Jenkins, and Erika Garcia.

Luis Gonzales Holds a College Fair!

2008-02-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

Bridges student Luis Gonzales, a student at Greenville High Academy planned and implemented a Hispanic Education Fair on Saturday, February 23 at the Greenville Technical College Berea campus. The Fair included college representatives from Berea College, Furman University, Bob Jones University, The Citadel, Erskine College, Morris College, South Carolina State University, and Greenville Technical College. There was also a table with information about financial aid and personal financial literacy, and a representative from the Association of Hispanic-American Women. Luis was interviewed by Hispanic radio stations 1440 and 103.9 and announcements about the fair were made at all of the high schools in Greenville County.

The Hispanic Education Fair was a final project for Emerging Public Leaders (EPL). In addition to attending Bridges last summer, Luis attended a program at Furman called Emerging Public Leaders is a week-long program for rising high school seniors who want to get involved and make a difference in the world. It is an exciting and innovative service-based leadership program that features sessions with local, state and national leaders as well as members of the faculty of Furman’s Department of Political Science. Students attend lectures, participate in off-campus trips, and have opportunities to interact with speakers and faculty.

During the week, each participant develops a plan for a student-led service project addressing a need in their community. Students then return home to work with local residents and peers on the implementation of their projects. During the following spring, students are invited to return to Furman to present their completed projects. The students with the most successful projects are awarded a cash prize. Luis' final project was the Hispanic Education Fair. He will present his project to a panel of judges in March. We congratulate him on his hard work and execution! We wish him luck on his presentation!

The picture above is of Luis and other Bridges students who helped him organize and manage the fair. Pictured from left to right: Victor Orozco, Daphnie Glenn, Maria Cruz, Karina Rodriguez, Erika Garcia, Ashley Jenkins, Aleen Sepulveda, and Cristi Privado.

Victor Orozco: A Very Special Student

2008-02-28T07:52:00.000-08:00

Victor Orozco, a Bridges student from J.L. Mann High School is simply AMAZING! We in the Bridges program have been blessed for the last three years by his energy, enthusiasm, unwaivering support, and creativity! In December, Victor was not only admitted to Furman University but was also awarded the prestigious Hollingsworth Scholarship. The scholarship, awarded to outstanding leaders in the State of South Carolina is worth $25,000 a year! This is a picture of Victor when he received the scholarship:

Victor is not only academically talented, but he is also artistically talented! Victor is a student in Allison Turza's AP Environmental Science class at J.L. Mann. In addition to teaching at J.L. Mann, Miss Turza is one of our brilliant teachers in the Bridges program. When she initiated a recycling program at Mann, she looked to none other than Victor Orozco to design the logo for the recycling bins to be placed around the school. Here is the logo that Victor designed:

We are very proud of Victor! Here are some excerpts from the letter of recommendation I wrote him for college:

Victor Orozco has a beautiful soul and a heart for serving others. He is the most humble, unassuming student with whom I have worked. He does not have one enemy. Every person that has ever come in contact with Victor thinks that he is a wonderful person, and he is!

Victor connects with people on a personal and emotional level. He is genuinely concerned about their well being and wants the best for them. He greets everyone with, “How are you doing?” Before you can ask him how he is doing, he has already asked you and asked a follow up question to learn more about you. This is Victor’s greatest leadership quality, his ability to connect with people and lead from within. He is not always the person in front, but he is the person behind the scenes, doing all the work, and supporting everyone around him.

Victor has a heart of gold and I feel that our world needs more young people like him.

Bridges Students Complete the FAFSA!

2008-02-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

Each year, the Bridges program provides an evening workshop for students to complete the FAFSA online. The workshop is always led by a member of the Furman financial aid office. It is a great opportunity to recieve one-on-one assistance in completing the form that is necessary to receive federal and state financial aid for college. The workshop was held January 31st and was facilitated by Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Christy Elia.

Pictured are Cesar Isaza and his mother. In the background, Christy Elia helps and parent and student.

Cierra Riddle Awarded Scholarship

2008-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

Bridges and Carolina Academy student Cierra Riddle was awarded the Coretta Scott King Dream Keeper Scholarship at the Martin Luther King Dream Weekend Diversity Banquet on Friday, January 18, 2008. The scholarship, worth $2,000 is awarded to a student who has a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 or greater and proof of outstanding community service in the Greenville Area.

The scholarship was awarded at a black-tie event held at the Hyatt in downtown Greenville. The crowd of over 900, praised Cierra as her outstanding achievements were read: 4.4 GPA, Engineering Academy, student body president, exceptional leader, and visionary. Cierra wrote about "modern day slavery" in her scholarship essay and accepted the award in true Cierra fashion, with humility and graciousness.

Cierra's mother Erika Riddle and grandmother, Judy Wright attended the event with her. Cierra has accepted the offer of admission to Furman University and was awarded a full financial aid package!

WE ARE SO PROUD OF CIERRA AND ALL OF THE BRIDGES STUDENTS!

Saturday College Continues!

2008-01-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

In Fall 2006, Bridges to a Brighter Future expanded the summer program to include a year-round Saturday program called, "Saturday College." This important expansion was funded by The Jolley Foundation. Without their enthusiastic support, we would not have a formal year-round program for students!

We are very excited to report that The Jolley Foundation has funded another two year grant to provide Saturday College through 2010. The Bridges students applauded with great enthusiasm when we announced the continuation of Saturday College.

Saturday College has become a vital aspect of the Bridges students academic success and personal enrichment. Considering that students have sports, academic, and work commitments, the participation rate has been phenomenal. Eighty percent of students attended the first Saturday College in September and the first-year students (Lambda class) boast over 70% participation rate at the monthly program.

At Saturday college, students receive 1 1/2 hours of tutoring provided by Furman Teacher Fellows and Greenville Junior League members. Tutoring is provided in all academic areas. Students note that the tutoring in Saturday College has been a positive contributor to their academic success. In fact, at the November Saturday College, we had all of the students stand with three or more A's or B's on their report cards. Almost the entire room was standing!

Students also receive 1/2 hour academic or personal enrichment workshop. In November, students learned how to write thank you notes and in December they learned about the importance of exercise and exercises they could do at home from Zest Quest Coaches George Booth and David Hughes. We are so thankful to The Jolley Foundation for funding this valuable program!!

Two Bridges Students in Youth Leadership Greenville Class II

2007-09-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

LaKeshia Ellis and Samantha Jones were recently selected for Class II of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce program, Youth Leadership Greenville. LaKeshia is a student at Carolina Academy and is currently serving her school as Junior Class President. Sam is a student at Riverside High School and was selected last spring to attend the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Institute. Both students are enrolled in Honors classes and are leaders in their schools. With this new opportunity they will lead our community! We are so proud of these two amazing young women!

All good things must come to an end...

2007-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Bridges culminates each year with a banquet at which we recognize our graduating class. This year was particularly special because it was our 10th anniversary and former director Judith Chandler-Huse attended along with several other past graduates.

The students looked lovely and we enjoyed a formal dinner, followed by a speaker and an awards ceremony. Awards were given to 2 Valedictorians, 2 Humanitarians, 1 Chandler-Huse Scholarship recipient, and approximately 50 academic achievement certificates. In addition, we gave a new scholarship entitled the "Mrs. D" Scholarship (given by one of our teachers, Mrs. Duggan) and 2 Personal Growth Awards.

The banquet ended with a slide show and comments from the graduating class, the Iotas. Many tears were shed...

We LOVE you Iotas and we will MISS you!

The graduating Iota Class

The counselors

Our final week...

2007-07-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

The 4th and final week is always filled with mixed emotions. It is typically the most fun week, as well as the saddest.

On Tuesday night we held our talent show. The talent show is a mixture of student acts and skits and finishes with the counselor skit recapping many of the funny moments from the summer. I am always blown away by how talented our students are.

Friday was our end of the year trip and we travelled to Carowinds in North Carolina. We spent the entire day riding the rides and swimming and sliding in the water park. For many students, this was their first time at an amusement park and their first time riding a roller coaster. We had a blast and returned late on Friday night - exhausted but happy.

At the park...

BLAST from the PAST

2007-07-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was our dance but this year's dance was a little different - it had a 70's theme.

A week earlier, all 75 students and 13 counselors tie-dyed tee-shirts. The students put their own twist on their shirts by cutting off the sleeves or fraying the bottom. The counselors dressed in their best 70's attire, which included Afros, bell bottoms, and platform shoes.

We danced the night away to 70's music (with a few current favorites thrown in). The students even got to dress up like the Village People and perform the YMCA. The night ended with karaoke, hugs, and a new appreciation for the 70's.

WE HAD A BLAST!

The Counselors

In our tie-dye

A BUSY Weekend!

2007-07-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

We ended this week with field trips to College of Charleston and Sliding Rock.

The Kappas and Iotas woke up early on Friday morning and traveled to Charleston to visit the beautiful College of Charleston. We took a tour, talked with an admissions representative, and ate lunch in their Dining Hall. Afterwards, we traveled 20 minutes to a local water park and spent the afternoon sliding down the slides and swimming in the wave pool.

In front of the CofC Cougar

The Lambdas also had a fun filled day. In the morning, they took a tour of Papercutters Inc. (here in Greenville) and ate lunch there. After lunch they traveled to Sliding Rock in Pisgah National Forest. Even though the water was cold, the students enjoyed sliding down the rock again and again. They finished off their evening with movies on campus.

The Lambdas touring Papercutters Inc.

At Sliding Rock

YIPPEE for a fun day for both groups!

Saturday was our annual car wash. Each class was at a different fast food location and it was impressive to observe the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment the students invested in this activity (it does not hurt that this was a class competition). Overall, the students raised $2,000!!! The money raised went towards our end of the year trip to Carowinds.

The Iotas are working hard

Our wonderful sign holders at the Kappa Car wash!

SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

2007-07-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

The counselors decided to keep the details of our 4th of July celebration a surprise and each counselor had their own version of what we would be doing
One counselor said we were going to Clemson...

another said to the Greenville History Museum...

and another said we were staying at Furman....
After class on the 4th, not knowing where we were going (and with lots of questions), all 75 students loaded into the vans for a 45 minute drive to the beautiful Pinnacle Falls Camp in the mountains. We played ultimate Frisbee and volleyball, had a water fight, swam in the pond, and played board games. The night ended with sparklers and ice cream. Several of the students said that this was their favorite 4th of July - SUCCESS!

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

From everyone here at Bridges to a Brighter Future, we want to wish you a Happy 4th of July! The students are in for a special treat...let's just say that it involves a massive grill and over 150 hamburgers and hot dogs.

Field trips on Friday this week-more about that soon!

Two weeks down, two to go...

2007-06-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

We're at the halfway point, and with only two weeks left, things have been going great! Yesterday the students had the chance to St. Francis Hospital, the Greenville County Museum of Art, USC and Claflin University. We've got some great pictures from that, so keep your eyes open!

Pictures of the first few days...

2007-06-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I took some time to follow the Lambda class around Greenville, and here's what we came up with...

Whether it was visiting with the new artistic director of the Warehouse Theatre...

Or stopping on the Reedy River bridge with the executive director of Vision 2025...

Or doing some rubbings of famous locations during a downtown scavenger hunt...

Or even dancing in celebration, our Lambdas kept moving and having a great time!

Here are some more pictures from the first week-

Two Iotas spend some quality time with their mentee. The older students act as mentors to the new students, to help them get acquainted with the program.

The older students went to Paris mountain over the weekend on a retreat, and here's a picture of them moving supplies for a campfire.
The Kappas are still all smiles, even when they're all tied up!

New Head Counselor Bailey Johnson takes a break from canoeing to show us her smile. The counselors were out of town for 2 whole days for intense training, in preparation for the beginning of camp.

Here they are in the woods!

Some of the Kappa ladies take a break from art class to remind us how Bridges brings people together.

This weekend is community service and a pool party, so keep your eyes open for more!

Bridges Underway

2007-06-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days, and already the program is off to a great start! The students have all been checked in, and over the weekend the Lambda class got to know each other, as well as the older students. The older students had a busy retreat at Paris Mountain for a the entire first day, and then they got a chance to meet their mentees (all the older students are asked to serve as a mentor to the younger students). Yesterday classes started, and tomorrow the field trips start-you can already tell that Bridges gets busy! Keep your eyes open for some pictures in the coming days!

3 More to go

2007-06-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

We've only got 3 more days left before the summer program gets underway! Saturday morning our team will start setting up, and by lunchtime most of the students will have arrived at Bridges for the summer. Included are just a few pictures of what check-in has looked like in the past. See you tomorrow!

4 Left...

2007-06-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

With 4 days left, let's talk a bit about what actually happens at Bridges. The core of the program is academic enrichment: Greenville county teachers come into the classroom, free to focus more closely on specific areas, and reinforce what was learned during the previous school year. The classes often have a deep impact on the students, since the faculty spends more one on one time with the Bridges kids. During the rest of the day and night, we supplement that with outdoor activities and cultural events in the evening, and community speakers in the mornings. Once a week the group takes a field trip to colleges or interesting places in the Greenville community. And on the weekends, the students participate in community service activities in the morning and have a little bit of fun at night (see the above picture from last year's ice skating adventure). Come back tomorrow to learn more about the vision and goals of Bridges

PS-The first two directors of the program were Sarah Fletcher and Judith Chandler-Huse!

Less than a week!

2007-06-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

We're at the 5 day mark now, so let's take a little look at the interior of the Bridges office...Here's Mrs. Linda Cook, the Bridges Administrative Assistant, working hard to get the paperwork in order for the summer!
Current program director Tobi Swartz takes a quick break from her hectic schedule for a peek into the director's office. She and the counselors are out of town training RIGHT NOW for Saturday. Get excited!

Before we leave, here's some Bridges trivia-
Who were the first 2 directors of the program? Find out tomorrow!

2 Down, 8 to Go...

2007-06-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Giovanna Gomez with former counselor
Beth Whetmore

Casey Crisp with Kappa Ty Gregory

In the program's long and storied history, several Bridges graduates go on to actually attend Furman University, where the summer program takes place. However, a few exceptional students go one step further by becoming counselors themselves. In the last 3 years, we've had 2 students take on that role-Giovanna Gomez (affectionately referred to by the students as "G-Unit") and Casey Crisp (who is also the coordinator for Saturday College). The program impacted them both enough to encourage them to give back to it in one of the busiest ways possible. Without the counselors, the program would lose a great deal of its steam-they not only provide mentor support, but they keep an eye on the students outside of the classroom, take them around campus and accompany them on field trips, and they do so many more things that would be too extensive to list. Let this then be a salute to counselors past and present-we love you for everything that you do!

See you on Monday!

9 more days!

2007-06-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

As we continue to celebrate the history of the Bridges program, we bring you a picture of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma classes working at a Habitat for Humanity build during the earliest years of the program. We've got some big things in store for this 10th year, but it's all a pretty big secret. The first class (Alpha) had only 14 students, while the Gamma class had only 9 students! Things had jumped by 2001, when the Epsilon class registered a massive 23 students-and it's only been growing from there. Last year the Kappa class brought an unprecedented 28 students into the program, bringing last years total numbers very close to 80 students. A 10 year growth from under 20 students to almost 80 is huge, and a testament to the life changing power of the Bridges program. Check back tomorrow for more!

10 and Counting!

2007-06-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

There are only 10 days left until the 10th Bridges to a Brighter Future summer program gets under way! To honor this milestone, we'll be counting down the days before the program with exciting words, thoughts, and pictures. We'd like to start with a selection from the Opinion section of the Greenville News from February 10, 2007:

"Bridges program builds futures"

'Thumbs up to Furman's Bridges to a Brighter Future program, highlighted recently in a column and an article in The Greenville News. This is a pre-college academic enrichment program that's designed to help high school students who have the potential to succeed in college, but not the means to do so. This is a good effort that will improve the community by putting smart kids on the path to success.'

Thanks, we think so too!

Check back tomorrow for more...

Congratulations!

2007-06-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our graduating Thetas on a job well done! You made it! Happy trails and many blessings as you continue on your journey-we'll be excited to hear how your future shines.

Pictures!

2007-06-05T11:44:00.001-07:00

As is always the case with Bridges, we have plenty of pictures to recap the last few months of the program:

Sadly, Glenis Redmond won't be with us this summer (she'll be in Haiwaii!), but she was kind enough to give a poetry workshop during the last Saturday College of the school year.

The Bridges kids after HOG day 2007, and a painting well done!

Here are the kids taking a quick break for a photo op.

Future Furman student Jorge Jiminez helps to paint.

We're working as hard as we can to get this summer's program ready. More to come soon!

Bridges in the Community!

2007-06-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 12, 2007 was a HUGE day for the Greenville community. It was HOG day 2007! No, not the pigs, Hands on Greenville, a volunteer organization, sponsored a day long volunteer marathon. At the end of the day, over 7800 manhours were logged helping with a variety of projects throughout Greenville. Bridges to a Brighter Future got involved by painting at Grove Elementary school and helping Central Community Ministries with other projects. All in all it was a truly remarkable day for Bridges as well as the community! Find out more about Hands on Greenville here. More information (and of course some pictures!) to come.

A New Look!

2007-06-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that the blog has a new look. Well, we thought that since we're approaching the 10th anniversary of Bridges, we'd make some changes. Now things are in motion to get ready for the summer! Keep checking back, because things only get better from here.

Bridges in the NFL?

2007-06-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

Surprised? We were too, when we discovered that David Jones, a member of the Delta class, has been drafted to the NFL! He'll be playing as a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints, and he's graduated from Wingate College. We wish him the best of luck as he begins his professional career.

Check out David's player page here.
You can read about him playing in the prestigious Hula Bowl here!

Leadership Team Retreat

2007-04-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Bridges to a Brighter Future leadership team was elected by their peers on at Saturday College on March 19. Being elected to leadership team is quite an honor! The election process includes a nomination process and voting. Every student in the Iota class was nominated, a testimony to the depth of leadership ability among all of the Bridges students.

However, for the past two years, five students exhibited leadership skills above the norm. These young people possess outstanding character traits and treat their peers with compassion, dignity, and respect. The five students voted to the leadership team were Daphnie Glenn, Luis Gonzales, Victor Orozco, Rosa Rivera, and Neizel Songalia.

The Leadership Team after being elected on March 19.
L to R: Neizel Songalia, Luis Gonzales, Daphnie Glenn,
Victor Orozco, and Rosa Rivera

To further develop individual leadership skills and unity among the team members, the leadership team went on an overnight retreat during spring break to the Camp at Pinnacle Falls, a youth retreat camp developed by the Cliffs Communities, Inc.

The goals of the leadership retreat were to:

Develop leadership skills;
Understand personal strengths and weaknesses;
Increase trust within the leadership team;
Define the role of the leadership team; and
Learn how to support each other and Bridges staff.

In order to meet these goals, the students participated in two days of group activities and challenges. The camp provided a beautiful landscape upon which to reflect, far away from the city atmosphere and free of cell phones! The leadership team had a lot of fun and learned a great deal about each other and themselves. Here are some pictures from the retreat:

Activity:
Carrying the leader up the trail in the blanket.
Goal:

Understanding how to support leadership.

Activity:
Trust walk up the pinnacle falls trail.

Goal:
Building trust and communication.

Activity:

Write your name

Goal:

Listening, teamwork, communication, and reaction under stress.

Leadership team enjoying Pinnacle Falls!

Bridges Graduates Doing GREAT Things!

2007-04-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

There are so many Bridges graduates following the mantra they heard everyday of Bridges, "Go forth and do good things," that it is difficult to keep up with them all! Here are a few recent graduates we have connected with.

Katie Nicholas, a 2004 graduate of Bridges and 2005 graduate of Riverside High School is making her mark at the College of Charleston. As a Sophomore, she has declared her major in Biology with a special concentration in Molecular Biology. She has joined Alpha Chi Sigma, a co-ed Chemistry fraternity. She rounds off her academic work by volunteering weekly at MUSC in Neurology/Neurosurgery. Her duties include manning the nurses station, talking with patients, and passing out magazines/books. With all of this, it is hard to imagine that Katie has time for anything else. However, she is also very involved in Campus Outreach. Her plan is to go to medical school, but as she states, "that may change." Katie's future after college may yet to be determined. Regardless, we are very proud of her success at the College of Charleston!

Two students also doing great things are Shawn Sarsour and Johnathan Stephens. Shawn and Johnathan met at Bridges and continue their friendship long distance as Johnathan attends Azusa Pacific University, located in Azusa, California (near Los Angeles) and Shawn attends Clemson University. I met them for lunch over the holidays in December and learned that they are both succeeding in their first year of college. Shawn is an Engineering major and is doing great in a rigorous curriculum. He lives in a residence hall with other Engineering majors and spends most of his time in the library. Johnathan is a Psychology major and is spending a lot of time in the gym as he is going to play football as a "walk-on" this fall. Both are challenging themselves in college and excelling! We are proud of them!

Bridges Experience

2007-04-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Bridges Experience

It's not the endless love,
Between complete strangers.
It's not the continuous smiles,
That are completely contagious.
And it's not just the talks,
Where no one is judged.
It's the immediate bond,
That can't collapse.

Here I am safe,
Here I am welcomed.
Judgement is unknown here,
And friends we all are.

A poem written by Bridges student Ashlee Ware.
Ashlee is a student at Hillcrest High School

Crossing the Bridge-Dreams Become Reality

2006-12-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

The past week has been one of dreams becoming reality. Many of the Bridges students have already received Admission to college. That in and of itself is awesome! However, the Furman family has literally changed two Bridges students' lives by offering admission and one Hollingsworth Scholarship!

Jonathan Riascos-Montoya was awarded the Hollingsworth Scholarship this morning by Jeny Bishop. Jonathan attends Wade Hampton High School. He and his mother are from Colombia. His mom has endured unbelievable things to take care of Jonathan, providing a loving and nurturing environment. She continues to work 12-hour days on the night shift to provide for him. He was awarded a $42,000 financial aid package. His mom said, "This is more than I could make in two years."

After overcoming shock, Jórge Jiménez, a student at Blue Ridge High School cried for 15 minutes after finding out he had been admitted to Furman. Jórge, is one of eight family members. He works 40 hours a week to support his family (literally). He too, has endured unbelievable circumstances to achieve.

I know that Furman is going to be a perfect place for these two young men to grow and develop. Since their first year in Bridges to a Brighter Future, they talked about coming to Furman. This is a dream come true, not only for them, but for their families.

These were the moving words of program director Tobi Swartz. Stay tuned for more good news!

About those scarves, part 2...

2006-12-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

So the scarves from last week have finally found a home! Last Friday we took them to the Miracle Hill headquarters on Wade Hampton Blvd, and they will go out to women and children throughout the upstate! Have a Merry Christmas!

About those scarves...

2006-12-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

Remember the post about Saturday College? Remember those scarves? Well, here a few pictures of the students making them! Tomorrow they will reach their home at Miracle Hill Ministries near downtown Greenville. Miracle Hill sponsors shelters for men, women and children in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, and we are proud to send our students' work to them. More on the delivery as it happens.

A full year of Bridges, part 1

2006-12-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

In order to get you closer to the inner workings of a year in the life of the Bridges program, we're going to start at the beginning. Last week the annual educator breakfast was held at Furman University, where guidance counselors and principles from the School District of Greenville County meet to hear from Mrs. Swartz about Bridges. In addition, they were given the nomination forms for the Lambda class! Each year around 80 students are given the chance to apply for Bridges. They are selected by members of the community, guidance counselors and teachers, and students currently enrolled in the program. In the end, only 23-25 will be selected, but right now it's wide open! More on the application and interview process soon.

Counselor Profile-Joel!

2006-12-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we asked Joel Leagans, Furman Senior, Counselor and all around nice guy a few questions regarding his experiences with Bridges to a Brighter Future and Furman in general. What follows are his (very candid!) answers:

1. How has Bridges shaped your experiences at Furman? Has it changed your goals or career aspirations? Bridges has been the highlight of my entire Furman experience. I honestly do not know where I would be in life right now if I hadn’t gotten into Bridges. Working at a lumber mill or attending law school are definite, miserable, possibilities. This program made me realize how much I love working with students, and people in general, and that going into education was truly my calling. I switched from pre-law to education because of this program and I have a gut feeling that I am going to be much happier in my life because of it. That moment when you realize what you want to do for the rest of your life is a great feeling that I hope each and every one of you gets to experience. Getting good grades and attending college all open the doors to different possibilities and opportunities that can put you in places you never thought possible. That is what Bridges is all about.

2. Since you've been a counselor for 2 summers, how has your experience changed from year to year?
I was not as "on the ball" the [first] summer as I wished I could have been. Coming into the summer I really didn’t know what to expect or how to handle a lot of the situations I would be faced with. Training was good but nothing can replace experience. My first summer was much more challenging and I don’t believe I stepped up to the plate like I should have. I wasn’t as involved in the day to day activities of the students and just not their for them like I would later wish I had been.
This summer was amazing and probably perfect. The fact that nobody went home almost speaks for itself. Every single one of the counselors contributed something to the overall success of the program and worked as a cohesive unit for the whole month. I personally felt like I put all of myself into the summer as I could as well. I am extremely proud of everything that the students and counselors accomplished and hope that this will serve as a good foundation for the future of the program.

3. What's your favorite thing about Bridges? The most challenging?
my favorite thing would have to be the last night when everybody mends bridges, lets it all out and says goodbye. The last night is when everything really comes together and we recognize what the students have accomplished.
The most challenging thing was my first summer figuring out how to balance discipline with being a friend. I didn’t realize that I could discipline relentlessly and still be the students friends until my second year so that first summer I probably chose to be a friend before being the person in charge which was a hindrance at times.

We'll hear more from Joel in 2007. More to come!

Finished in 2006

2006-12-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday marked the last Saturday College of 2006, and so far it has been a resounding success! Well over half of the Bridges students have made it to every Saturday College, and the tutoring and team building workshops have helped them stay focused and excited for next year's Bridges experience. In addition, the group got the chance to make scarves as a community service project. These scarves are headed into the Greenville community, and we'll keep you posted on their final destination. Stay tuned!

PFC Santiago Diez

2006-11-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

Santiago Diez graduated from Bridges to a Brighter Future in July 2005. His last summer in the program was challenging. I remember having several discussions with his father regarding Santiago's behavior and decisions. Looking back, Santiago was simply going through the unsettling teenage years. It was that summer he announced he would join the United States Marine Corps after high school graduation. We all were not sure if we should believe him. There were those who thought he was joking and those who thought it would be good for him. I was one of those who thought it would be good for him.

Therefore, I was excited last week when I heard his voice on the other end of the phone. He had just graduated from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, S.C. Immediately I could tell he was a new man! The first obvious difference was his use of "yes ma'am." He used it often and with respect. We immediately made plans to see each other in person.

Santiago stepped out of his car dressed in uniform! I remembered back to over a year ago when he was an unsure young man who cut up in class. And there he was, dressed from from head to toe with purpose. Not only was he dressed with purpose, but he spoke with purpose. Santiago and I talked for an hour about how the Marines Corps changed him. He talked about the great challenges he encountered during 16 weeks of basic training and how those challenges created in him, a new man. He spoke of teamwork, commitment and purpose.

PFC Diez has now moved on to Marine Combat Training at Camp Lejune, NC. He said that for over 20 days, he will sleep in a tent and will go through more grueling training. After combat training, he will go to Pensacola, Florida for Aviation Training. He hopes to further his career in the Marines working in aviation and expects to be deployed to Okinawa, Japan.

We are so proud of you Santiago and are proud of your commitment to serve our country!!

Dee Dee: The Road Less Traveled By

2006-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

In his famous poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost wrote:

...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Dee Dee Allen, a student at Berea High School, is taking the one less traveled by. I had the pleasure of spending the day with Dee Dee and Lauren Whitner (a Bridges student from TRHS) on Monday. They had the day off from school, so we traveled to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC to take a campus tour and meet with faculty. Both are Seniors and have been interested in Winthrop for quite some time. Spending the day with Dee Dee, reminded me of the Robert Frost poem.

Two Roads Diverged in a Wood
I have said this before about Dee Dee and I will say it again in writing, she is a special student! I have not met a student who possess quite the same mixture of talents. She is charismatic, smart, creative, funny, and lovable. She makes light of many things in her life, except for one, academic success. Academic success is very important to Dee Dee. One may not immediately know that about her because she puts up a front that is quite convincing. However, to those who know her best, knows that school is a priority. In a student culture where being smart is not cool, Dee Dee has stood in front of divergent roads and been challenged to decide.

I Took The One Less Traveled By
Dee Dee was recently selected to attend a Creative Writing class at the Greenville County Schools Fine Arts Center. This was quite an accomplishment. She had to apply, interview, and was the only student selected from her school for creative writing and is the only African-American in this class at the fine arts center. I was not surprised by the accomplishment because I have witnessed her creativity in writing for three years at Bridges. She has written many poems during Bridges that hit you right at the core. The road less traveled by...

And That Has Made All The Difference
By taking the road less traveled by, Dee Dee has allowed herself to experience aspects of life she may not otherwise. Dee Dee has a tough exterior that serves as protection from many influences. However, very smartly, she knows when to soften. This softening has allowed her to take the road less traveled by and open herself up to new experiences. Being in Bridges facilitated much of this evolution. This has made all of the difference as she begins to realize her goal of going to college and majoring in graphic design.

The Bridges Leadership Team. Dee was instrumental in leading this team. She is pictured here, left to right: (f) Lauren Whitner, Maria Negrete, Janet Uribe, (b) Jorge Jimenez, Dee Dee Allen, Jonathan Riascos-Montoya.

Five Bridges Students Selected for the Inaugural Class of Youth Leadership Greenville

2006-10-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Five Bridges to a Brighter Future students were recently selected to participate in Youth Leadership Greenville! Daphnie Glenn (Riverside), Luis Gonzales (Greenville), Hillary Rampey (Woodmont), Rosa Rivera (Berea), and Damaris Taylor (Greenville), are participants in Class I.

The mission of Youth Leadership Greenville is to engage the youth of Greenville County in a series of classroom and practical learning experiences designed to develop, cultivate and nurture their leadership potential and to get them engaged in Greenville’s future.

The program participants are selected from among students who are highly motivated and potential leaders within their school communities. The program of study will challenge these students to become more aware of, examine and respond to the social and economic needs of the Greenville community.

This year’s class of 32 rising high school juniors represent 13 high schools in Greenville County, including Greenville Charter High School. The program for this year’s class will include sessions on the history of Greenville, healthcare and human services, quality of life in Greenville, and law enforcement and local government. In addition to these topics, the students will also participate in workshops covering college and career selection, leadership skills development, and how they can make a difference in their community.

We are extremely proud of these young people selected to participate in Youth Leadership Greenville!

Saturday College a Success!

2006-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

History was made on Saturday, September 23rd as 49 Bridges students attended the first SATURDAY COLLEGE! 74% of continuing Bridges students attended this optional program geared toward enhancing the four-week summer program by providing year-round academic and personal support.

Students recieved tutoring in all academic subjects and participated in a goal setting (10th and 11th graders) or college planning (12th graders) workshop. They also ate lunch at the newly renovated Furman Dining Hall! Students also enjoyed spending time with each other, the counselors, and faculty.

15 Furman students volunteered at Tutors. The majority of those tutors are Teacher Fellows at Furman University. Thank you Teacher Fellows! Another important group of volunteers were the Bridges 2006 Summer Counselors. 11 of the 12 counselors will assist with Saturday College throughout the year. The counselors were there all day Saturday serving as tutors, coordinators, and activity specialists! Thank You! Bridges Faculty are also involved with Saturday College as tutors and supporters. Many thanks to Mr. Choplin, Miss Turza, Mr. Martin, Mrs. King, and Mr. and Mrs. Grills!

Saturday College is being coordinated by Casey Crisp. Casey is a Bridges graduate, Furman student, and served as a Bridges counselor in 2006. She did a great job planning the first Saturday College!

Here are pictures from our first Saturday College!

Bridges on the Radio!

2006-09-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

In June, Bridges to a Brighter Future was featured on the Public Radio program, Speaking of Schools. Miss Brittany Morgan and Mr. Jorge Jimenez represented Bridges to a Brighter Future. They were phenomenal!

Click here to hear the radio show!

Catching up with the Students, Part 1

2006-08-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today we begin a new series of posts about the lives of Bridges graduates in college and beyond. Our first student is Luis Arrieta, who graduated from Bridges 3 years ago. He is entering his junior year at Belmont Abbey College, and he plays on the soccer team. Be sure to read about his successful experience and important plays here!
We asked Luis several questions about his Bridges experience. Here's what he had to say:

What impact do you think Bridges has had on your college experience?
It had a great impact in the fact that it prepared me as well as anybody could be prepared for my freshman year. The classes, the independence, everything that Bridges teaches you is pretty much the same things I encountered my freshman year. I'm very proud to be a Bridges alumni.

How are you doing academically?
Right now I'm doing pretty good even though is a little hard to juggle between soccer and school. I have a 3.2 GPA, and I have declared my major in International Business with a minor concentration in Accounting.

What advice would you offer current Bridges students?
I would tell you guys to enjoy it as much as possible and to soak in and take advantage of all the opportunities that bridges has to offer. I remember my high school years as being part of Bridges. Even today, every summer I wonder how would it be to be back. Also, the friendships. I met people there that have influenced my life so much and I know that they will be my friends for the rest of my life.

What would you like to brag about?
My life. I think I'm a very lucky person. I get to go to school do what I love that is playing soccer. I'm enjoying my college years, I love my major, what can I say, I want to brag about being happy.

We are very glad that Luis has kept in touch, and we hope that his future continues to be full of bright and wonderful things! Stay tuned!

Banquet pictures!

2006-08-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

At the end of each summer, professional photographer Charles Register comes to take pictures of the Bridges banquet. This summer was no different, and we now have some of his pictures to share!

Saturday College

2006-08-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a grant from the Jolley Foundation (see the newsletter for more), the Bridges to a Brigther Future Saturday College program is just about to start! Some of you may be wondering what this expansion of Bridges is all about. To shed some light on this exciting new initiative, we once again turn to the words of program director Tobi Swartz:

The Bridges to a Brighter Future Saturday College is an expansion of the current four-week summer program. Although the current summer residential program makes a significant difference in these students’ lives, Bridges finds it increasingly difficult to overcome the difficulties that these students face daily. As negative influences increase, so does the need for consistent and ongoing support. Saturday College will provide much-needed year-round reinforcement and services. The Saturday College program will consist of nine meeting dates held once a month throughout the year at Furman University. Each session will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 1:00 p.m. Our goals are to further increase students’ academic and personal success; keep students focused on the goals they have set for themselves; and to identify student challenges as they develop, in order to provide opportunities for intervention before problems magnify and become insurmountable. These goals will be met by providing:
· Intensive tutoring in:
o Math (Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus and Calculus);
o English (Writing, Grammar, Essays, Research Reporting, etc.);
o Social Studies (Reading Comprehension, Memorization, Writing, etc.); and
o Science (Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science)
· Academic success and college planning workshops such as:
o Time Management, Study Skills, Effective Test Preparation, and Note-taking Strategies; and
o Completing College Applications and Financial Aid, Writing College Essays, and Determining the Right College Fit.
· Mentoring by Furman and community leaders:
o The Saturday College will provide a consistent location and time to establish mentoring relationships. Mentors will be invited to lunch each Saturday.
· Emotional support and strengthened friendships with Bridges classmates and staff.

This program is the largest expansion in the history of Bridges. Saturday College starts in just one month, so stay tuned for more information as it gets closer.

The E-Connector!

2006-08-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

The first issue of our new newsletter, the E-Connector is here! The newsletter has all sorts of information not contained in the blog or the website:
Check it out here
We hope you enjoy the read, and stay tuned for more next week!

Both Sides of the Bridge-Casey Crisp

2006-08-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Casey Crisp (pictured right) is a Bridges graduate who has come full circle: she not only attends Furman as a student, but she works as a counselor for Bridges! We asked Casey a few questions about this transition, and Bridges in general. Here is the complete text of the interview:

1. What was your experience like as a student at Bridges? Did it help you in deciding to come to Furman?
I think Bridges had a huge impact on my decision to come to Furman. I loved this atmosphere and the helpfulness of everyone. Bridges also helped to open up my eyes to the possibility of coming to Furman financially.

2. Has your furman experience lived up to your expectations?
Absolutely. Furman is a very different place from the inside looking out than it was as a community member, but I've enjoyed seeing the aspects of Furman that I had not experienced as a Bridges student, such as the student body, professors, and academic challenges.

3. What made you decide to work as a counselor?
When I reflect back on my Bridges experience, I often think of my counselors and how they impacted my life. I wanted to do that for the current Bridges students. I wanted to be that person that they could depend on for support and encouragement.

4. What is it like working with Mrs. Swartz first as a student, then as a staff member?
VERY DIFFERENT!! I never realized how much energy and concern she put into this program until I was on the other side. Of course I knew she cared about the students and was always very supportive of each of us, but I did not see the careful thought and love that she put into each decision to make sure this program was the absolute best it could be. I developed a whole new respect for her and the work that she puts into her job- she's amazing!

5. How is Bridges different as a counselor? It's completely different. I have completely new responsibilities and concerns. It really made me wish that I would have been even more grateful for everything Bridges provided for me as a student. It's amazing to see all of the behind the scenes of the program that I could have never imagined as a student. There are so many people who care about this program and the students.

6. How has Bridges impacted your life?
Bridges provided me with opportunities I would not have had anywhere else. I was opened up to a whole new world of diversity and challenges. The Bridges students remind me each day that anything is possible, because they continue to amaze me with their strength, hard work, and determination to achieve their dreams.

7. You're working as the studnet coordinator for Saturday College this year. how did that come about?
Mrs. Swartz presented me with the opportunity to work in the Saturday College program and this position seemed to be a good fit. We are in the process of getting some great things planned and I really believe this is going to make a tremendous impact on the Bridges program.

8. Would you like to work as a counselor again?
Absolutely!! This was the best summer job I've ever had. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my summer than working with 70 amazing high school students.

Look for part of this interview, along with much more, on the newsletter-coming soon!

More Information about Subscribing

2006-08-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

After only a few days of our new subscription service, a small problem has come up: the email used to confirm your subscription is blocked by some spam filters! So be sure to check your filtered emails if the subscription email doesn't come up immediately. Thanks, and happy subscribing!

Now you can Subscribe!

2006-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

We've just opened up another feature on the Bridges blog! If you look at the links on the right, you'll notice a spot to enter your email address-that option lets you get email updates everytime the blog is updated. This is a great way to stay in touch with the happenings in Bridges, and it goes straight to your email inbox.
Stay tuned!

Update!

2006-08-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

After a year or more of inactivity, the Bridges to a Brighter Future website is being renovated! Work on the page isn't quite finished, but most of the information reflects the current state of the program. You can access the site by using the link to the right, or by clicking on this link:
www.furman.edu/bridges
In other news, look for a post detailing the new Saturday College program later this week, as the Greenville County School year gets started. Stay tuned!

Another blog!

2006-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

The blogging community at Furman just keeps getting bigger and bigger! The Emerging Public Leaders program, run through the Riley Institute on campus, gives students from all over the US a chance to have an impact in their community. Their blog has words from the students, as well as pictures from their week long residential camp at Furman. The address is:
http://epl2006.blogspot.com
We hope you'll check it out! Look for a HUGE announcement this week!

Stay tuned!

2006-08-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the coming weeks, big things are happening in Bridges! When school resumes in a few weeks, we'll be ready to begin preparing the Saturday College program. Also, in the next few weeks, the newsletter for Fall of 2006 will be ready to go, and we will give everyone an opportunity to obtain a copy of the newsletter, not to mention a chance to preview the newsletter here first! We'll be back next week, but first here's another picture from camp!

Student poetry part 1!

2006-08-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

Remember Glenis Redmond's stay at Bridges during the 2nd week? (if not, you can check out the July 2006 archives for more details) Well, as a result of this collaboration, we have some poems to showcase, and many more put together in an anthology for the students! Here are a few samples:
The Kappa class wrote recipe poems, and here's one-

A recipe you’ll never forget.
Ashley Jenkins
1 cup of my ancestors picking cotton in the hot southern fields.
2 teaspoons of their tears being washed away by their bloody hands.
1 pinch of our ancestors fighting for freedom.
A dash of hope and faith engraved in my heart by my mother, by teaching me that being a black woman made my spirit stronger, and more willing to fight, while she put her macaroni and cheese into the oven as I helped her flour the chicken.
1 drop of tolerance for all of my black and hispanic brothers and sisters who have been mentally and physically abused, because of our darker skin.
A handful of freedom for everyone touched by these calming words.
Baking Instructions-
Mix all of this into the minds of others and bake it by showing actions of tolerance, giving hope and faith to others, and spreading freedom to everyone you touch.

and here's another recipe:

Ashley Tapperson
The recipe for a better world is as easy as it gets
But to make sure you understand, I’ll break it into little bits
A cup of peace is what we need to make the world go round
For all of us to get along with everything we surround
Two teaspoons of love, to sugar up our lives
Embrace even your enemies, give them the longing to survive
A pinch of troubles, inner conflict with yourself
To overcome, build character and bring your spirit wealth
A dash of imagination will throw adventure into everyone
Let’s sink below the ocean floor, or travel to the sun
A drop of dreams to strive for and hold your head up high
To achieve above and beyond and reach into the sky
A handful of faith to keep our hearts alive
Not to be afraid, but to go ahead and dive
Mix it all together, make a smiling face
Go ahead and be different, every kind of race!

one more about home:

Tacloban, Philippines
Neizel Songalia
Born in a small island where coconuts dominate
Burned by the rays of the sun, but cooled by the clash of the waves
Alarmed with natures golden invincible music
Awakened by the sudden gleam of the goddess light
untrapped by the eyes
Sudden rush through the door to say good-bye to my mom,
I wave a memorable goodbye to hope she’ll be alright
And so I go on, breakfast is eaten, the clock ticks in a beat,
and I wait for the real treat.
My heart beats with the clock, beating and beating, my ears
Participate and tell me they’re here.
Continuous laughter, continuous running, I became a princess,
I became a mom
I fell but I went back up with no concerns, but wounds
continually appeared but disappearingly healed
We hit a can with a shoe, we froze each other by a tapping touch
We made our own territory, we conquered each others base
We climbed a tree for tropical fruits, we ended up on top of the roof,
Turning into a new world where miniature flowers became our food.
I became a bird, I became doctor, I became a patient, and
I was thought to be dead.
With the powerful ball of light keeping our surroundings suspected and
Reflected
And the rays directed to our diamond fantasies
This was my childhood in Tacloban, Philippines
A time where imagination was in full content.

Look for more soon!

Something new!

2006-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

One of the things that comes with the end of another year of Bridges is a great deal of pictures! With so many pictures, we decided to change the hall display in the office to reflect the new and exciting things happening in the program. Here are a few of the new pictures:

Look for student poetry later this week!

Some words from the banquet

2006-07-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

After a week's vacation at the office, things are back in motion! Almost all of the supplies are organized, and DVD copies of the video slideshow have gone out to the students, but the work is never finished in preparing for the next year of Bridges! In the coming weeks, we'll be updating the blog with student poetry, art, and more information about Saturday College...and of course more pictures! But first, here is an excerpt from Mrs. Swartz's closing remarks to the Thetas at the banquet, on the theme of love:

Now, I as I look out at you, I don’t see those people from three years ago. I don’t see the glasses, braces, insecurity, fear, or doubt.

As I look at YOU, I see, I feel, I think, and I touch LOVE. Not that fluffy, fake, kind of, ‘I love because I have to love you” love.

But love that grows over time.

Love that comes from seeing you at your lowest low and witnessing you crawl you way back up to your highest high.

Love that comes from sharing your heart breaks and your triumphs. This kind of love is AGAPE love,

Agape is one of several Greek words meaning, “love.” Agape is love that is:
· divine,
· unconditional,
· self-sacrificing,
· active,
· thoughtful, love.

I feel this when I look at you, all of you.

But my question for tonight is, “Do you feel this when you look within yourself?” Do you feel that Agape love? Is the love for yourself unconditional?

It is hard to love yourself unconditionally when the world around you only shows conditional love.

If you clean the house-you get love.

If you get good grades-you get love.

If you are pretty-you are loved.

If you do exactly what is expected-you are loved.

If you have the right clothes-you are loved.

If you drive the right car-you are loved.

This is conditional love-you get it based on what you do. So we grow up thinking that no one can love use unless we do something for them to deserve the love. Many people in our lives say, “I love you” and then reject you the next day.

The thing is, that we are so used to this conditional love that when someone loves us unconditionally, we believe it can’t be true. We think and we know that this is just going to be one more person that let’s us down. But I am here to tell you tonight that I won’t let you down, Bridges won’t let you down and we will always love you.

But loving you, it is not enough for you to succeed. Theta’s, I am here to tell you that LOVE, Agape love, unconditional love, whatever you want to call it LOVE, it comes from you first.

You have to love yourself unconditionally first before you can receive or give love to someone else.

Unconditional love is an unlimited way of being. Loving yourself unconditionally will remove so many barriers from you life. It is a dynamic, powerful energy that lifts us through the most difficult times.

Knowing that if all else fails and you are left standing alone, you still have YOU. You still have that powerful unconditional love that will get you through.

So, stop seeking love in all of the wrong places. You can’t get unconditional love from someone else, if it doesn’t start in you first.

I know without any doubt in my mind that you will each go forth and do great things.

It was a very powerful speech, and it still resonates clearly, several weeks after the program has ended. Look for picutres from out new hall display later today!

Award Winners!

2006-07-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

With the week drawing to a close, let's take a look at some of the award winners from last week's banquet:

Valedictorians, for academic excellence and service in and out of the classroom:
Ne'Kosha Flanningan
Jonathan Riascos

Humanitarian Award, for excellence in service and friendship throughout the program:
Maria Negrete
Jorge Jimenez

Chandler-Huse Scholarship winner-a 1000 dollar scholarship for the student's first year at the college of their choice:
Lauren Whitner

Teacher of the Year:
Mr. Bernard Frost

Senior Superlatives also went out to the Thetas, and they looked something like this:
Funniest-Tenealya Littlejohn and Long Huang
Friendliest-Thanh Ho-le and Jorge Jimenez
Most Likely to Succeed-Maria Negrete, Ne'Kosha Flanningan and Jonathan Riascos
Best Smile-Janet Uribe and Osita Obi
Best Dressed-Lashawnda Harkness and Hernan Ochoa
Best All Around-Charnele Handy and Jonathan Riascos

A peek at the closing comments coming soon!

More Pictures!

2006-07-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

The last batch of pictures are here! (This set has some from week 3 that were too good to pass up!)

Look for more updates later in the week!

The Last Week: Noise, Tears, and Hope

2006-07-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Bridges to a Brighter Future 2006 is officially over, but let's take a moment to recap the last week.

Stomp!: Throughout the program, students received a nalgene bottle as a reward for doing great things, large and small. This tradition is known as the "incentive bottle" program, and it gets the students fired up during morning assembly. However, this year an extra incentive was attached to the bottle-every student awarded a bottle was entered into a drawing to see Stomp at the Peace Center! After all was said and done, over 20 students and counselors went to the Peace Center and got a chance to experience Stomp, most of them for the first time!

Theta Day: Something ultra top secret happened on Tuesday, and the Theta students were given a special treat-unfortunately, since it IS top secret, we can only tell you that it happened, but hopefully the pictures can help you figure out what it was!

Talent Show: Tuesday night was the annual Talent Showcase, and it was a roaring success! This year two of the students helped to host the event, and acts ranged from piano and poetry to the step and hip hop routines, not to mention the two skits at the end of the night that served as a great send up to all of the fun and trials we've had throughout the summer. One of the highlights of the night was "Stomp 2", a percussion display by some students who were inspired by seeing Stomp on Sunday night!

Field Trip: This week, everyone went up to North Carolina to go White Water Rafting! For most of the students this was their first time, but they took the challenge head on, and it was awesome. All told, the group rafted for roughly 4 hours before stopping for lunch and heading home-all in all, Bridges 2006 was beginning to come to a close.

Friday: The last day of camp is full of emotions, and it starts from the moment the kids wake up. The first event of Friday was a reflection of the work done in class, which ranged from an emotional reading of a personal narrative to presentations of houses and science projects. After that the students ate their last meal in the dining hall, and then they were given some time to get ready for the banquet. Parents and students alike were in fine form as they poured into the Younts Conference Center. Furman's photographer came to take pictures of the students and staff before the banquet, and soon the Thetas entered the banquet hall and the crowning moment of the program got underway! The two valedictorians gave the opening remarks, followed by the presentation of the humanitarian awards, the Chandler-Huse scholarship, and awards for the leadership team and for academics. After that, parents were given a chance to leave before the counselors and Thetas gave their reflections of camp. This portion of the program was the most emotional part of the night, as almost all of the students and staff members were eventually crying due to the powerful nature of the change in the students' lives. The video yearbook was the final part of the banquet, which was a good opportunity for the students to look back fondly at the four weeks that changed their lives. With Bridges all but over, the after party in the parlors was all that was left, and it was a great chance for the kids to see each other one last time. And with that, Bridges to a Brighter Future 2006 was over.

After a day off, the office is back in motion, getting everything settled and ready for the fall, and the new Saturday College program-more on that later!
Look for pictures soon!

End of the Road.

2006-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

After 4 weeks of ups and downs, tonight is the banquet that signals the end of this year's Bridges to a Brighter Future program. Even though the program is over, keep checking back as we recap the last week, talk to more students, look forward to the new "Saturday College" program during the school year, and of course show more pictures!

More Pictures!

2006-07-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Look for more pictures soon!

Week 3: All About Water!

2006-07-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

We're reaching the home-run stretch in Bridges to a Brighter Future, but first let's recap the third week:

International Food Night: After a restful day at home, the students came back with food that represents their cultures, and we created a International buffet! The food ranged from fried chicken and macaroni and cheese to a bread that one student described as "like corn bread...only better!" and empanadas. Other students brought rice, tuna casserole, as well as desserts like homemade strawberry banana pudding, chocolate cookies, and cake. Needless to say there was a lot of food to be had by all! After that the students played cards, watched movies and had a karaoke party, giving them one last rest before classes started up again!

The 4th of July: With the campus closed to the public, all of the Bridges classes crowded into one building for the day, with exciting plans for the evening. After classes ended, the students had a catered dinner in the dorms and had an ice cream feast, which was supposed to be followed by fireworks-but that almost didn't happen! A terrible rainstorm almost called off the festivities, but it cleared up in time for an awesome fireworks display!

Field Trips: This week, the field trips were all about water, continuing the unintenional theme for the third week! The Kappas went to Brevard College in NC, followed by a trip to Sliding Rock, quite literally a wet rock that you slide down! Some students were reserved about the cold water and the dip, but the highly supportive atmosphere of Bridges prevailed, and virtually all of the students and administrators on the trip ended up going down the rock. The Thetas and the Iotas began there trip hours before the Kappas woke up-the bus for Myrtle Beach left at 7 am! They went to the beach to scope out Coastal Carolina University, before heading to the beach. For some students, this was the first time seeing the beach or the ocean, and it was truly awesome for everyone involved to share that experience with them.

Visitors: Thursday was an important day for the Bridges to a Brighter Future program, since visitors from Elon came to watch the program at work, in order to begin their own enrichment program! Word is spreading fast about the work we're doing and how awesome the students are, and the Elon visitors were greatly impressed with what they saw, from the classroom to the efficiency of the administration. We wish them the best of luck in getting their program started, and hope that they the kind of success we have experienced!

Sing and Dance-Off: Friday morning, the students wanted to show their appreciation to the counselors, who have worked tirelessly these past few weeks to make everything run smoothly for the students, so they had all the counselors get on stage during morning assembly: for a contest! The guys and the girls had to sing karaoke to see which hall got an extended curfew. Some hilarious singing and dancing ensued, but at the end of the event, it was determined that while the girls won, all the students would get to stay up to watch movies in Furman's movie theatre!

Working at the Car Wash: Saturday was the day. KFC on Laurens, Chick Fil-A on Woodruff, and Burger King on Haywood were the locations. The event: the first annual Bridges Super Car Wash Challenge! Each class took a location, supplies, and a few counselors, and got to it! The students washed practically EVERYTHING-from a charter bus to a pickup truck belonging to a neighboring business, they washed their hearts out, and the results speak for themselves. All told, the students raised over 1000 dollars to offset the costs of the program! An amazing acheivement from some amazing students! That evening, it was a relaxing night at the bowling alley, not a bad way to spend the last Saturday of the program!

MORE Water: After parent visitation ended on Sunday, it was time to watch the final game of the World Cup! However, that was only the beginning of the day, since the annual Bridges Field Day was next. The students did a variety of activities, not the least of which was the water balloon toss. Field Day led into another relaxing night for the students, in preparation for the last week of class!

More student profiles coming this week, and don't forget about the pictures-those will be up tomorrow!

A Little Bit About Classes

2006-07-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update on what's happening in the classroom:

Math: The students began Bridges working on fundamentals, but now they're working on math magazines, complete with ads and equations, and a math masquerade, where the students imitate famous mathematicians, from Da Vinci to Einstein. The students have really thrown themselves into it, listening to audio files of the mathematicians' voices, and creating elaborate costumes. This week the students are presenting their work!

Science: The Science class this year has focused on forensic science, which is the field of science that involves detective work and solving crimes. The students have been working on several different cases, ficitious murders that they have to solve, as well as performing skits and doing field work, and they are getting closer and closer to cracking the case!

English: It's all about the presentation in English class! After Glenis Redmond finished with the students, they've been working on a variety of projects. The Iotas presented detailed poetry posters and are working on descriptive writing, while the Thetas are working on using Powerpoint to make a persuasive speech on a topic of their choice. The topics range from security in schools and the merits of paying college atheles to the death penalty and the nature of advertising. Finally, the Kappas are writing personal narratives about experiences in their lives that have changed them, in addition to watching the movie "The Education of Little Tree", which details the life experience of a Native American child growing up in the 19th century.

Art: Art has been moving at a clip, with all three classes nearing the end of their projects. Between learning how to water color, drawing faces and figures, and the ins and outs of 3-D design, the art class is busy! By the end of the program, we'll have 29 watercolors, 25 sketches of people and faces, and 18 model houses on our hands!

College Planning: Every week, the College Planning class gets the older students ready for college visits, but this week all 3 classes visited a school, so some extra preparation was in order! In addition, they have been working on the ins and outs of filling out applications, and all of the students have to give a speech about their future, from what they see in their future to what they can do to make that future a reality.

Social Studies: Debate, debate, debate! That's been the name of the game in Social Studies. They began with a discussion of Israel and the troubles in the Middle East, but have moved on to topics such as immigration and flag burning (they debated that on the 4th of July!). Many students not normally interested in Social Studies have been invigorated and stimulated by these open ended debates.

More on the 3rd week soon!

Student Profile 1!

2006-07-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

This year, Bridges to a Brighter Future is serving 74 students from all over Greenville County, and we've decided to highlight a few to give you an idea of what the program is doing for them. The first is Samantha Jones, a rising sophomore at Riverside High School. Samantha was so excited about the chance to come to Bridges that she practically fainted when she found out she was nominated. When asked why she was so excited, Sam said that she had a special bond with her nanny, who went to Furman. For years, Sam and her nanny went to all sorts of Furman events and sports games, and this has given her an overwhelming desire to go to Furman. She said that getting nominated for Bridges pushed her to bring her grades up and encouraged her to keep at her studies to make it into the program. Her grades were suffering because of a rare illness that took her nanny's life. Sam has been in and out of the hospital for a while, and this school year was no exception. This past year has been one full of hardships for Sam, but things have really been looking up for her. She's reached a healthy and stable condition (her illness is permanent, but is no longer putting her in danger), and her grades have come up, and with Bridges, she has even more support. "I've never felt more supported in my life" were her words on being with the Bridges program. The students here accept and support her, and she can't get enough of her experiences with the program. From NCBI, which opened her eyes to the conflicts and troubles of her classmates, to Science class, which she loves (Sam wants to be a psychologist), Sam has truly blossomed in her time at Bridges-she has really opened up and Bridges is giving her a chance to shine, and her life can only get better from here! Perhaps the best news of all is that she still has another 2 years to learn and grow!
Look for more student profiles later this week!

Week 2-Pictures!

2006-07-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from week 2!

Look for student profiles this week!

Week 2: Glenis Redmond and the Dance!

2006-07-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we're officially halfway done with Bridges to a Brighter Future 2006! The 2nd week was full of both work and play-let's get a quick recap:

Glenis Redmond: Class resumed as normal with one HUGE exception-professional poet Glenis Redmond came to begin her weeklong workshop with the English class on the art of poetry! Glenis has been a poet for many years, and she has performed all over the United States. Her experience writing poems and teaching poetry proved to be invaluable for the students. Throughout the week, the kids learned a performance poem, how to write a recipe poem, and how to write using powerful and descriptive language. The poems the students produced ran the spectrum from painful and honest to playful. The poetry workshop ended with a performance Friday afternoon, where all of the students read some poetry! Glenis Redmond has been working with Bridges for several years, and each year the kids can't wait for more. For more information concerning Glenis, please check out her website: http://www.glenisredmond.com/

What Ifs: Tuesday night, the students got to participate in life skills workshops. They had 4 choices-
*How to change a tire: The students learned all the steps in changing a tire, from when the tire goes flat all the way to driving away with a new tire.
*Dinner etiquette: The students learned how formal dinners work (what fork does what), in preparation for the banquet at the end of Bridges.
*How to manage a savings and checking account: The students learned how to start and maintain a checking and savings account, as well as the use of a debit card and how to use a credit card safely.
*Furman: Furman admissions staff talked to the students about getting into Furman, as well as answering questions about the university
All in all, it was a satisfying and busy night!

Field Trips: The field trips for the second week were a little different. The Kappas started the day at St. Francis Hospital and took a tour of the facilities, before heading to the Greenville County Museum of Art, the other art museum in Greenville. The curator there took them on an interactive tour of several of the key pieces in the museum, all of which were very different from the religious art at Bob Jones. Meanwhile, the older students visited more local colleges. This time they started at USC Upstate in Spartanburg, before going to Converse College (an all girls school). At the end of the day, both groups went out for ice cream, before coming back to Furman for evening activities.

The Dance: Friday night, the stage was set-the kids had been in the program for two weeks, they were about to go home, and everyone was tired, but excited. It was time for the Bridges to a Brighter Future dance! A shuttle took the students to the newest building on Furman's campus, the Younts Conference Center, and the dance began. Music came from DJ Sid the Surf, a VERY energetic and diverse DJ who kept the kids dancing from the newest hip hop hits to songs by the Beatles. For more information about Sid the Surf, check out his website, http://www.sidthesurf.com/. Highlights included giving the students hats to dress as the Village People to sing "YMCA", Sid having everyone get in a circle for a hoedown, to a heartfelt and emotional close of the night with "Graduation Song". The students left the dance tired and emotional, but more connected than ever before. It was a night to remember! After that, the kids went home for the weekend, preparing for week 3, which starts today. Pictures from week 2 later today!

More Pictures From Week 1!

2006-06-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Look for info about the second week really soon!

The 1st Week in Pictures!

2006-06-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

We'll let these pictures speak for themselves :-)

More pictures from the first week tomorrow!

The 1st Week in Words

2006-06-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

With the second week of Bridges starting, let's recap the first week!
Monday & Tuesday: Classes, morning assembly, dining hall meals, and evening activities all started today! From the forensics of science and investigation (in Science class) to learning how to swim, the students got moving on their busy schedule. English class covered short stories, poems, and giving speeches, while the Art class began working with perspective and 3 dimensional design. Math class worked on figuring out where the students were in their studies, while Social Studies started talking about the situation in the Middle East. Finally, College Planning began preparing students for the week's college visit. Tuesday night the younger students began their NCBI diversity workshop, while the older students saw the improv group "Imagine That!" All in all it was a busy but great way to start the new week, and the students have been loving every minute of it!

Wednesday: Field Trips! The Kappa class (the youngest) went on a scavenger hunt of downtown Greenville, where they had to pick up trinkets from locations all over downtown! It was a long and hot morning, but all of the teams finished and everyone went to Saffron's for a well deserved meal break. After some time by the Reedy River falls, the Kappas went to the Bob Jones Museum and Gallery, the best collection of baroque and religious art in the country. The museum guide took the kids through roughly a third of the gallery's collection, and gave them a chance to reflect on what they saw. For some it was the first time they had ever been to an Art museum, but Mr. Grills (the art teacher) did a great job preparing them beforehand for the amazing art they got to experience. After that they went back to Furman for their evening activities. Meanwhile, the Iotas and Thetas (the older students) went to Erskine and Lander colleges to scope out some local options for higher education. Both schools gave tours, and Mr. Frost from college planning was there to help the students make informed decisions about how right these schools were for them. They also made it back in time for their evening activities, and the schedule picked back up for Thursday and Friday, with the Kappas finishing the NCBI workshop Thursday night.

Saturday: The weekends are almost more packed than the weeks during Bridges. Saturday morning the older students worked on community service, ranging from clearing debris for Diligent Hands, Gracious Hearts, to making care packages for the hard working staff at Furman, who help make Bridges possible. The Kappas were on the Furman ropes course all day, which helped them bond with each other, since trust is absolutely necessary for everyone to complete the course. That night, all of the students went ice skating at the Pavilion, and it was a lot of fun!

Sunday: On Sundays, parents are allowed to visit the students, so most of the kids were out and about throughout the morning. By the afternoon, all of the Bridges students were at the pool! Dr. Shi, the president of Furman University, was kind enough to let Bridges use his home and pool for a party, and it was blast, even though it was rained out. For the rest of the night it was back to the dorms for fun and games on the halls.

This week has been back to the classroom, but tonight we're having workshops on how to start a checking account, how to change a tire, proper dinner etiquette and how to get into Furman. More on that and the rest of week 2 later!

The 1st Weekend, Part 2!

2006-06-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

When we last left the students, the olders were finishing workshops and helping the younger students move in.

The Kappas arrived on June 18th and their check in was smooth and fun (Elijah Brunson talks to Mrs. Swartz)!

After they were settled, the counselors took the students to the field for some ice breakers. It must have been the first time some of the students played Red Rover in years (Luarne Nelson runs around the field)!

They then went on a scavenger hunt of the campus to get ready for class the next day! More on the first week later!