51 Days of Gratitude: Day Four

Dear Ms. Bruce,

I can't put in words how much Bridges means to me.  It has given me so much, from teachers that have taught me things that last a lifetime, to the brothers and sisters who will always hold a place in my heart, to the future that is brighter than the sun.  All of this I have you to thank for.  Thank you so much for this program.  Without it, I have no idea where I'd be.

Z.S.

51 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

Dear Mrs. Bruce,

I want to thank you for creating such a wonderful program.  Being in Bridges has taught me many valuable life lessons and I don't know where I would be without them.  The program has saved my life.  I was on a dark road leading to a mysterious future.  Now, I know what my future is.  I know what is in store for me and that's thanks to you for starting this program.  You have made a major impact on my life by creating a gateway to a successful future.  On behalf of everyone's lives you've changed, I just want to say, THANK YOU, Mrs. Bruce.

Sincerely,
D.B-T

51 Days of Gratitude: Day Two

Dear Mrs. Bruce,

This is my second year of Bridges and I feel like my life is completely different.  I don't involve myself with bad people anymore or do things that are illegal.  I love that I look back and say that I would not be in a good place without Bridges.  My family struggles all the time with money, but going to school is a lot less struggle now.  I also have an idea of what I want to do with my life and how I want to go to college.  None of this would be possible without you.  I honestly love you and all you do.  Thank you!

XOXO, NB

51 Days of Gratitude: Day One

Mrs. Bruce,

To know that there was hope for me somewhere out in this world, is the best gift I have obtained.  Thank you so much for creating a lifetime opportunity and change program.  I am a first-generation student that loves to learn, be in school, teach others, and help; but I didn't know what steps to take to keep going and succeed.  Because of you, because God put you here to be a help to others, I was and have been able to keep going, continue and someway, someday, I will be able to help others.  Just because you were there to push us forward, to motivate us, maybe not literally you were here, but with your initiative, you were able to help others!  Thank you, I am in complete debt to you.  I will go forth and do great things!

When Seeds Sprout

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

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

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!

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

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

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???

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!

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

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!

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

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

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: