It’s been 10 years since A Bridge for Kids was founded, and as we all know, Rome was certainly not built in a day. It’s because of all our sponsors’ generous giving spirit, and the power of belief, that we have been able to become the organization we are today. Step by step, every year, we brainstormed and implemented new programs to benefit our students. Some sponsors even say that we offer more to our students than they did to their own kids! This Holiday season, we wanted to look back to our roots to see how far we have come.
In 2012, A Bridge for Kids was founded with a very simple mission: helping low-income students get into college. Since then that mission has stayed the same, but the idea behind it has changed. Getting into college isn’t only about good test scores and college tours. It’s about growth, being multi-faceted, and following your passions. We have shifted a decent amount of our focus from a test scores and college tour-oriented organization, to an organization that helps our students unlock their full potential. We aim to grant all our students the liberation to discover their passions and hobbies that they otherwise would not have had access to, while also leveling the playing field of the college application process.
This can be done in several ways. The first is through the encouragement of the use of sponsorship funds for more than just academics. We allow and encourage our students to use their sponsorship money towards hobbies and activities that they would have otherwise not been able to participate in. Another way we encourage our students to pursue new hobbies is through our recently started programs. One of which is called Arete – named after the Greek philosophy of excellence of the mind, body, and soul. In this program, we took our students rock climbing at Vertical Hold and discussed the importance of leadership and teamwork. Another program we have in the pipeline is to help our students get out to the beach! We will soon be offering a full-day program where we take our students out to the beach and do a beach cleanup for the first half of the day. After lunch, we will all participate in a beach activity such as kayaking, snorkeling, surfing, beach volleyball, paddle boarding, and much more!
“I learned that communication plays a big part in life and that it can only benefit both sides. I also learned that I should take advantage of new opportunities because there is so much to learn from everything and everyone.” – Vy Ho