Dear Friends of A Bridge for Kids, Walt Disney once said of change: “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths...paths to new successes.” This month “change” is the operative word at A Bridge for Kids as we move forward down a path that is lit primarily by the ideas of our teens. Today we are announcing four new initiatives that will compliment our ongoing sponsorship program. 1) Annual College campus tours- We have two campus tours planned for … [Read more...]
500 gifts for foster kids this holiday season!
As the gifts came in one by one you could feel the excitement in the air! A Bridge for Kids and a team of volunteers collected gifts that are sure to bring a smile to the faces of 536 Foster Care kids this holiday season. We counted 4 bikes, a shiny red guitar, several skateboards, baseball bats, Size 10 Cheeta- print Van shoes, and a Barbie pet doctor kit. Even though there is a $50 suggested gift amount, many LJCDS students teamed up with their Advisory groups and collected money to make some of these extra special wishes came true! … [Read more...]
Casino Night Fundraiser Raises $110,000
A Bridge for Kids hosted it’s first ever Casino Night at the La Jolla Country Club on Saturday night, October 12th. Over 150 guests gambled the night away for a great cause, raising over $110,000 for at risk teens. It was a party-like atmosphere from start to finish with Las Vegas style atmosphere at all of the black jack, craps or roulette tables. A Bridge for Kids teens were the real winners as guests placed their bets for charity. Dee Van Horne wins big on the roulette wheel The live auction, which was packed with vacation … [Read more...]
And The Winner Is…
Virginia Reyes, from The Preuss School, UCSD, won the second annual A Bridge for Kids essay contest. In doing so she also collected first prize, a $2,000 sponsorship from A Bridge for Kids. Virginia’s essay beat out over 450 submissions from 12 schools throughout San Diego County and was judged the winner by a panel of six judges. Virginia with her family after winning this years essay contest Virginia, who is a senior and hopes to attend Stanford next year, said she would be buying an Ipod Touch or tablet with a portion of her … [Read more...]
An Update on our Progress
Hi Everyone, This is our final Newsletter for 2013, our first full year as an organization, and what a year it has been! Over the past year, A Bridge for Kids has evolved from an “idea” to a meaningful organization in the community, helping numerous teenagers achieve their dreams. Through the generosity of almost 200 donors, our teens have been able to apply to their dream colleges, enhance their ability to complete school work with their own computers, buy sports equipment, participate in school activities, and look forward to being able … [Read more...]
A Life Changing Sponsorship
A few weeks ago we met with an impressive 16 year old from Escondido Charter High School who had recently been through a difficult period in his life. His father lost his job last spring and moved away from the family soon thereafter; and his mom who had previously turned to drugs and alcohol, died earlier this year of an overdose. As a result, this teenager has been homeless off and on for the past nine months with no source of income or guidance. Even with these hardships, and without a reliable place to call home, he was still able to … [Read more...]
A Letter from our Founder
Abraham Lincoln once said "It´s not the years in your life that count it is the life in your years." Reading this quote recently got me thinking about how my own life would be so very different if I was not afforded and had not taken advantage of certain opportunities growing up. Looking back at those formidable teenage years, I now realize how fortunate I was to have the chance to play team sports, participate in school activities and apply (and in some cases even get accepted) to the colleges of my choice. In short, I was lucky in that I had … [Read more...]
Helping Military Families, One Child at a Time
A Bridge for Kids wants to say thank you to Erick Muriel, Teen Center Supervisor at the Miramar Youth Center, for contacting us about two very deserving kids who needed a helping hand this summer. Mr. Muriel knew the two girls from years past when they had attended camp on a regular basis. He also understood that they wanted to participate again this year but couldn’t afford the $20/week per child fee. Due to recent cutbacks in military spending, the camp was no longer free and with the family having experienced a series of recent financial … [Read more...]
A Bridge for Kids 2013 Essay Contest
Our 2nd Annual Essay Contest is now underway! Students may submit essays of 750 words or fewer describing their thoughts on the following: Discuss one short term and one long term goal you have for yourself and what you believe to be the biggest roadblock that might keep you from achieving each goal? Enter now for your chance to win the top prize of a $2,000 sponsorship from A Bridge for Kids. … [Read more...]
Thank You to All of our Volunteers
A Bridge for Kids would like to thank 15-year-old Brandon Nance, as he gets ready to go back to La Jolla Country Day in August. Brandon took a year off from school last year to dive head first into community service and more specifically help teens, like himself, in need of a “helping hand”. He was instrumental in setting up meetings with local charter schools and other local organizations. He spent numerous hours on maintaining the organizations database and on other special projects. Brandon was also instrumental in developing several … [Read more...]