“As a young Black man from a single-parent household, I would like to defy the odds by becoming the first member of my immediate family to graduate from college. I am determined to make a positive impact on society but more importantly on my community. Being the second oldest of 8 (5 from my mother) and the oldest boy with 6 younger brothers, it is important for me to be a role-model to my brothers especially since our father has not been in any of our lives. I would also like to be a positive role-model to the youth from my neighborhood and … [Read more...]

Since its inception in 2012, A Bridge for Kids has now awarded over 250 sponsorships to low income, high achieving students across San Diego. The original business plan was to identify promising low-income teens and connect them with a sponsor who would donate $1,000-$2,000 to assist these teens to purchase such basic educational needs as a laptop and printer so the teen could do homework at home. But their dream quickly expanded as the sponsored teens' requests revealed a far more compelling story: requests became anything from replacing the … [Read more...]

In December, during their Winter Break from college, students who have received support from A Bridge for Kids gathered with sponsors, Board members and Founder/CEO Michael Nance to celebrate the season and share stories about fall semester and college life. The annual “Alumni Dinner” was an opportunity to see the impact of A Bridge for Kids and how supporting low-income teens can lead to successful outcomes. The student in attendance hailed from a diverse group of four-year universities including SDSU, UCLA, Brown, and many more and the … [Read more...]

A Bridge For Kids' 5th Annual Casino Night was a magical evening, and we want to extend our sincere appreciation to the many sponsors, donors and guests who supported our mission of helping high-achieving, low income San Diego teens create a bright and successful future.   This amazing evening was highlighted by inspirational speeches provided by 3 teens and 1 sponsor who shared personal stories and A Bridge For Kids experiences with our guests.  Additionally guests were entertained by incredible roaming magicians who wowed everyone with … [Read more...]

Essays are now being accepted for the 2017 A Bridge for Kids Essay Contest! Click Here for Printable Version of Essay Contest Rules and Application Essay Topic and Judging:  Students may enter the 2017 A Bridge for Kids Essay Contest by submitting an original essay of 750 words or fewer describing their thoughts on the following: What is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome? How did you overcome it and how did that affect your life?   A panel of volunteers will judge the essays and the winners will … [Read more...]

What is more exciting about awarding a deserving teen a one year sponsorship? Awarding FIVE deserving teens each a four year sponsorship valued at $4,000 per teen. Thanks to a generous grant A Bridge For Kids received from the 5 Together Foundation, we have been able to expand our mission of identifying and supporting high achieving, low income San Diego teens who have demonstrated potential in academics, athletics, and/or the arts, by developing a new program entitled A Bridge Forward. A Bridge Forward is an expansion of our sponsorship … [Read more...]

A Bridge for Kids made a trip to Gompers Preparatory Academy this week to award $1,000 sponsorships to 5 deserving students.   These teens had been previously interviewed by A Bridge for Kids volunteers and identified as potential candidates for a sponsorship.  After the interview, the students were then asked to write a personal statement (John Class of 2017) and that essay was shared with members of the community.  Each of these students who were awarded sponsorships this week were picked out of the 100's of personal statements received each … [Read more...]

Our annual essay contest has been a great way for us to get to know underprivileged teens on a personal level and reward them for their articulation. Started in 2011, we have been able to reward over 150 students all over San Diego with sponsorships. With these sponsorships, A Bridge for Kids teens have been able to purchase basketball shoes that have won CIF championships, paint that landed them in prestigious art schools, prom dresses that allowed them to fully experience high school, take part in college visits, and so much more. The … [Read more...]

On March 21-23, 8 students, Rose, Fu’ad, Jasmine, Paulina, Linh, Jimmy,  Andie, and Ana got to visit the USF, SJSU, SFSU, UC Berkeley, Stanford. On March 28-30, 7 students, Eric, Lizbeth, Isabel, Quynh, Natalie, Christina, and Thao were able to visit UC Riverside, the Claremont colleges, USC, and UCLA. Some schools were definitely hits for the students and others provided learning experiences on what they did not like in a University. The knowledge and experience that they acquired through this trip is essential to high school students … [Read more...]