10 Years Ago…

The year was 2002. Lilo & Stitch won Best Animated Picture at the Oscars; the United States won 34 medals at the Winter Games in Salt Lakes City, Utah; Simon and Garfunkel won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys; and, most exciting of all…Bridges of Hope was born!

That’s right, Bridges of Hope is ten years old. Where has the time gone? Does this mean we are a “tween?” Well, maybe not exactly, but those folks involved with Bridges since our “birth” can hardly believe how fast we’re growing up. And growing we are! The first year Bridges was in existence, we served about 150 households; last year, we served over 2,400 households.

We started out with one amazing staff member, and along the way we’ve grown into an organization with 15 incredible staff members, including the addition of Common Goods in 2009. What an exciting time we are in: we are serving more clients than ever, we have the best staff around (if we do say so ourselves), and we are operating a successful mission-driven thrift store on top of it all!

Over the course of several months in 2011, we invited key community members from a variety of agencies, businesses and other groups to help us take a look back at where we’ve been and help us look forward to where we need to go in the next five years. Thanks to this dedicated group of folks, we have a renewed energy for our work as we enter our tenth year of service with a clear vision that includes the following four strategic priorities:

• Strengthening families by providing both a breadth and depth of programming;
• Engaging the community in two-way relationships;
  
• Centering our organization in Christ by nurturing our staff and Board of Directors in their individual faith journeys; and
  
• Developing and being good stewards of the resources we are entrusted with.

Bridges of Hope continues to be committed to the original principles the organization was founded on: connecting families to the community resources that can help them thrive; filling gaps in existing resources; and streamlining access to and reducing duplication of services. We are so proud to have partnered with an array of churches, businesses, service clubs, and human service & other organizations over the past 10 years and look forward to these continued relationships.

We have a few exciting things planned for our 10th year, starting with:

• A celebration of 10 years at our second-annual Community Concert on March 24 at 2 p.m. Click here to learn more.
• An announcement of our Business Partner of the Year: Grand View Lodge.  Bridges of Hope and Grand View have a rich history of working together and we look forward to partnering on a few projects this year. Stay tuned!

Lastly, we have some fun 10th Anniversary Trivia for you. Grab a sheet of scratch paper and take your best guess before heading to our website for the answers. See how well you know Bridges.

What is…

• $2,800,000 (Hint: you are awesome.)
• 700,000 (Hint: you wouldn’t want to be the one assigned to remove them all!)
• 36,000 (Hint: we started somewhere around 300 our first year)
• 1,800 (Hint: it was a MOVING experience)
• 650 (Hint: it’s all about the Rockstars)
• 47 (Hint: they founded us and still ground us…in a good way)
• 1 (Hint: it was a brief brush with stardom in 2003, and his name is Mike)

Click here for the answers! 

Wow–an anniversary, new strategic priorities, and our own trivia game…it doesn’t get much better! On a serious note, I am really humbled and amazed with how our community has embraced Bridges of Hope over the last ten years. We still have a lot to accomplish together and there is a place for you as we look ahead to serving the 2,200+ households who will reach out this year. I know I speak for our entire staff and board when I say we are honored to serve this community every day.

Thank you for helping us build Bridges.

A Good Solution for Julie & Hanna

This year, Bridges of Hope added a new program to its continuum of services for families. Respite Services provides a regular break to parents or guardians of children with mental health or behavioral challenges. This is typically a scheduled break at the home of a respite care provider who has been selected by the parents.

But you might be thinking, wait a second–I thought Bridges of Hope already did this! It is true that we also administer Crisis Nursery Services, but there are some key differences between the two. Parents utilizing Respite have an ongoing plan to use the service–often utilizing it once a month, and/or at regular intervals throughout the year (to help provide a break for caregivers of a child with mental health or behavioral challenges). Crisis Nursery, on the other hand, is short-term childcare during an immediate family crisis situation, when there are no other safe alternatives for children.

An example of just such a Crisis Nursery situation is Kendra’s story, which you can read here.

In contrast to the more immediate nature of Crisis Nursery, Respite works this way:

Julie is a single mom, fairly new to the Brainerd Lakes Area. She contacted Bridges of Hope requesting assistance in establishing Respite Services for her 12-year-old daughter, Hanna. New to the area, Julie had no friends or family available to provide her–or Hanna–with a break. Julie explained that when Hanna was 2 years old, Julie became her Foster Care Provider, later adopting her when Hanna’s birth parents’ rights were terminated. Over the course of the next year, Hanna’s behavioral challenges became more pronounced, and she was eventually diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).

At Bridges of Hope, the staff was able to provide Julie with a list of Respite providers who had availability work with new families. Julie connected with one of the providers and was able to meet them in their home to make sure it was a good fit for Hanna. After working with the Bridges staff on establishing how much Respite would be appropriate to meet Hanna’s needs, Julie and the provider were able to set up a regular schedule for Respite, and Hanna is currently receiving the service one day per month. Julie reports Respite has been a good solution for both herself and for Hanna.

As a single parent myself, I know through my own experience the importance of having someone reliable to call on in times of parenting stress, and I feel so blessed to have an extensive informal support system for the times when I need a break or have a childcare emergency. The reality for many families, however, is that this informal support system does not always exist. Kendra’s and Julie’s stories are both examples of the way Bridges of Hope helps bridge the gap for those parents who may not have many (or any) healthy, supportive adults in their lives to help care for their children in times of need or stress. Crisis Nursery and Respite Services help provide this critical relief for parents who are working hard to raise their children and who need just a little additional support to be successful.

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Take Action:
>>Learn more about becoming a Foster Parent (or contact your local county
for more information).
>>Learn more about adoption in Minnesota through MN Waiting Children.
>>Learn more about the importance of healthy, early-childhood attachment.

Common Goods Treasures Go Global

Contributions by Claire Erholtz, Common Goods Summer Retail Staff; and Jim Nagy, Common Goods Volunteer

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Last summer, several items with origins in the Brainerd Lakes Area made their way across the Atlantic. A group from Timberwood Church took a mission trip to Skoczow, Poland. Claire Erholtz, a summer staff at Common Goods, and Jim Nagy, a Common Goods volunteer, were both part of the team that went to teach English at a summer camp for Polish youth.

One part of the team’s prep work was to plan several different Theme Nights–including costumes and games to encourage the Polish youth to use their English skills outside of a classroom setting. The themes ranged from Cowboy to Hawaiian, and they required some creativity and quite a few supplies.

Claire, however, knew the perfect place to shop–and at Common Goods, she found plenty of gear for the whole team, including cowboy hats and even grass skirts–which helped their entire team really get into the spirit of the themes. Claire was glad the team didn’t have to “break the bank” to get outfitted for the trip.

Jim also headed to Common Goods in search of costumes and props for the Theme Nights but found something extra while shopping: a Duluth Trading Co. duffel bag! Jim was thrilled to find such a sturdy bag for under $20. He and his wife Carol also found several like-new Tommy Bahama Hawaiian shirts for about the same prices as the duffel–quite a steal, in Jim’s mind.

Now fully outfitted, Jim and Claire–and the rest of the team–finished preparations for the trip, packing up their new treasures for the trip to eastern Europe. After coming home, Jim and Claire reported to the staff at Common Goods that the Theme Nights were regarded as a success by all; and moreover, that the entire mission trip was a success, touching the hearts and lives of many Polish youth. Bridges of Hope is pleased to have a small role in adding to the fun and creativity of their trip–and to hear about the sometimes unusual ways that the merchandise of Common Goods is going out into the world for the common good.

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Learn more about how shopping at Common Goods helps local families.

Doing For Others

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal” – Albert Pike.

I ran across this quote today and couldn’t help but think of YOU, our faithful supporters. You gave of your time, finances and talent in 2011 to “do for others and the world.” Not only has Bridges of Hope experienced the generosity of this community; but I have personally experienced this during my ten years living in this community, especially over the last five months.

Some of you know that my mother recently passed away after a four-and-a-half month battle with Leukemia. Our family mourns this loss deeply. Friends, family and the community have wrapped their arms around us with such love and care that it brings tears to my eyes as I write this.

One of the reasons I admire my mother is the fact that she was always doing for others. I feel so blessed to be living out her example by serving at Bridges of Hope, an organization that not only does for others, but helps them do for themselves as well. I am inspired by the glimpses of my mother’s loving and giving spirit that I see in my five and seven-year-old children, especially over this last few months as they have had to endure the illness and loss of their beloved grandma.

Today I am also thinking about and feeling so humbled by the gifts made to this organization in 2011 in honor of and in memory of loved ones. I just want to take this time to acknowledge these special folks.

2011 Honoraria and Memorial Gifts:
In Honor of Dick & Carmen Holter
In Honor of Katie Sordahl
In Honor of new staff Jennifer Koenig
In Honor of Nick & Kassie Heisserer and their children
In Honor of Patty Baltz
In Honor of Val Knudsen                                                                                                                    In Memory of Charles McQuinn
In Memory of Clarice Hager
In Memory of Denise Schneider
In Memory of Mike Znameroski and in Honor of Susan Znameroski
In Memory of Pauline Bottemiller
In Memory of Winnie Lou Hern
For Bode
For Carol Marrin
For Jim Rehberger

To those of you who made these gifts, thank you for choosing Bridges of Hope and trusting in us to do this work we love in honor of Him and your loved ones.

Please click here to learn more about our programs.

Bridge for the Arb Completed

This is a community that cares.

We are thrilled to announce that our bridge project with Nor-Son, Simonson Lumber, and the Northland Arboretum is completed!

This bridge was a great way to mark our progress toward our $60,000 Fall Campaign goal, which we reached in December–all thanks to our generous donors, who have shown us that supporting families in need is something they care about deeply (more about that here).

Both Lakeland Public Television and the Brainerd Dispatch came out for the the bridge’s completion and transport to the Arb, which you can watch here:

And here:

We are so happy to be able to provide the Arb with a working bridge that will be installed next spring. Thank you for making our work with families possible.

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Learn more about Bridges of Hope’s work with families.

Make a gift to support our work with families.

Recycle Mania

Posted by Suzanne Welch, Common Goods General Manager.

Common Goods held its first two-day Recycle Mania event on Jan 6-7, 2012. We had a beautiful weekend, weather-wise (practically unheard of in Minnesota!), and community members recycled over 2,3oo pounds of electronics and corded items! We were excited to give donors a tangible way to get a jump-start on cleaning up and cleaning out their storage spaces in the new year.

Hughes Technology was an amazing partner. Elizabeth and her team of passionate recyclers will disassemble the items we collected and recycle their parts properly. We are thankful for the partnership we’ve built with Hughes Technology over the past couple years, which is what helped make and event like this possible.

Common Goods strives to be more than “just” a thrift store. We intentionally use our store as a platform for education to our customers, donors and the broader community on how, where, and what to donate–and when an item has survived past its useful life, how and where to properly put it to rest–very often by recycling it.

This year we plan to once again partner with Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and Hughes Technology for a community-wide Earth Day event in April. Community members will be able to donate and recycle their items all at one place, at the ReStore. In November, we plan to team up with  Hughes Technology again for America Recycles Day. Mark your calendars now and watch Facebook (click to “like” our page) and our website for details!

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Learn more about the mission and volunteer opportunities at Common Goods.

Rachel is the Living Proof

Here at Bridges of Hope, almost 100% of the clients we work with are struggling financially to some extent. One of our main goals when helping a family navigate their way through a financial crisis is to try to prevent the situation from happening again, which can be pretty tough. Most of us can be a bit “stuck” in our financial habits–or don’t even know we have financial habits, let alone knowing how to go about changing them. And I’m the first to admit that in my own life, personal finances can be a difficult area to talk about openly with another person. Some of the families we work with may not be ready to adjust their financial priorities yet, but we believe it is still important to present them with some of their options anyway, so that they know how to access the help they need when they’re ready to make a change.

One of the ways we determine what those options are is by completing a budget worksheet with the family. By collecting a household’s monthly income and expenses, we are able to quickly identify any obvious gaps that low-income families might have, such as eligibility for a local food program or seasonal utility assistance to help their own funds for food and utilities stretch further. Our Financial Resources Program is specifically designed to match people with the resources they qualify for, and we have made a practice of seeking to become the local “experts” on both the area resources that exist and the guidelines or criteria needed to access them.

While working with a family, we often have to have the tough conversation of sorting out what constitutes a “need” versus a “want,” and prioritizing which kinds of bills are the most important to pay first and on time. We usually suggest expense-reducing options for categories that fall closer to the “wants” side, such as finding less expensive phone plans and cutting down or eliminating cable and internet plans. For example, our community has several free resources for accessing the internet, including our area libraries, as well as our local Workforce Center for job seekers (for resume help as well as seeking job openings). I am proud to report that I have even followed my own suggestions and am living proof that someone can still enjoy television in 2012 with just an antenna, which does not require a contract or monthly subscription fee.

This time of year, we also have the sometimes-difficult “Plans for Your Tax Return” conversation with our clients. For many of the families we work with, it can be daunting to figure out the best use of a tax return, especially if it exceeds their usual monthly income (which last year averaged about $475/mo for each member of a household). We work with families to create a plan that will not only address their immediate crisis but also help create a more long-term cushion against future crises. For example…

• If the client has been struggling to pay their car insurance each month, we may suggest that they use their tax return to pay a full year’s worth of car insurance. Not only will their car insurance be paid for a full year, but they will also save money overall, since they can avoid monthly installment fees.
• If a client is struggling to pay their rent consistently and on time, we might encourage them to contact their landlord to see if they can pay for several months’ worth of rent at once (landlords tend to appreciate payment in full–and in advance). Sometimes this arrangement can even give the client some flexibility to negotiate for lower rent, if they are offering to pay a significant amount at one time.
• If the immediate crisis has been resolved and there are no other no major financial issues at the time, we can suggest the client start an “Emergency Fund” at a local bank, to prevent a future crisis from happening in the event of a job loss or illness.

We also recognize that the interactions we have with our clients are limited in scope, and sometimes more in-depth financial literacy education is necessary. In this event, we make referrals to other programs with just this specialty, such as Lutheran Social Services Financial Counseling, or an extended training course such as Financial Peace University, a 13-week money management program often offered at our local churches.

I am currently working with a client who has taken steps to make these kinds of changes in her budget:

Rachel, a single mother of three, was working nearly 35 hours a week and had a fairly stable financial picture, when her child support abruptly ended, causing a hole of over $600.00 in her budget each month that she had counted on to care of her children’s needs. Through our work together, Rachel has cut her cell phone entirely and retained her land line, saving $85.00 each month. She made the tough decision to completely cut out her cable and internet packages, saving an additional $120.00/month. Due to the change in household income, Rachel now qualifies for food support and has applied for that program to help make up some of the deficit she now has.

We are continuing to work with Rachel, helping advocate for her with her landlord to allow her to pay a portion of this month’s rent next month after she receives her tax return–and to pay the next several months in advance. Rachel has really worked hard to change the way she looks at her financial situation and to gain control of it herself, setting herself up for future stability.

At Bridges of Hope, part of our mission is to strengthen, stabilize and support families. We regard building financial literacy among the families we serve as one of the most important things we can do to “help.” Each day we do our best to both provide the resources that will keep a family’s current crisis from becoming a catastrophe, and to provide the kind of education and support that will prevent a future crisis from even happening in the first place. When a family like Rachel’s really works hard to overcome their short-term crisis and set themselves up for future success, they in turn become the living proof for us that real, lasting change is truly possible for families.