The Bridge Ministry
Tax deductible
The Bridge Ministry
The Bridge Ministry, Inc. was founded informally in the home of William Washington more than twenty five years ago and began operating as a 501(c)(3) organization in December 1996. The Bridge works in Virginia to transform the lives of troubled men and their families by providing mentoring, vocational skills, education, and the relationships they need to bridge the gap from addiction to productive community and family life. The Bridge currently has an overall success rate of 86% and a 100% job placement rate.
The Bridge Ministry has a two-phase program which 1) receives men into an eighteen-month residential program in Buckingham County; and 2) allows certain men the opportunity to complete the last six months of the program in the Intern House in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Although The Bridge has a $600 admission fee per student, it is rarely received since the vast majority of the men who come to The Bridge are indigent, sometimes having been without employment or visible means of support for quite some time. In many cases, they have been abandoned or rejected by their families.
The Programs
While the students are in the program, they are able to participate in a variety of vocational training opportunities. These opportunities include training in auto mechanic work, body shop work, manufacturing and assembly, landscaping, gardening, onsite construction, heating and air conditioning, electrical work, and heavy machinery operation.
Students also participate in classes at five days per week where they learn how to communicate in a positive way, work with others, lead their families, manage their finances, and become a productive member of their communities. The Bridge is a certified GED testing location, so students are able to earn their GED while in the program.
The Founder
Besides other honors, Bridge Ministry Founder and Executive Director William Washington was the recipient of a 2006 Bridge Builders Award, which recognizes the contributions of citizens “who succeeded in building bridges in our community.” He was the youngest recipient to date. Mr. Washington was also chosen as a Distinguished Dozen in 2004 by the Daily Progress, a local newspaper that recognizes twelve people each year who are leaders in the community. Mr. Washington has also written two books, His Grace is Sufficient: An Autobiography and People, Places, and Things: A Guide to Overcoming Addictive Behavior. These books share his journey overcoming his addiction and share steps to help others as well.
Why your donations are needed NOW
We have a great opportunity moving forward with the bank that holds the mortgage on our property and we desperately need your help so the Bridge can continue to fight homelessness, lack of education, unemployment, and the opioid epidemic. The bank has been very supportive of our mission and those we serve so they have extended a payoff opportunity for us to be debt free. They are willing to reduce our loan from $580,000 to only $200,000 if we can provide the funding by the end of October. This will greatly help our program move forward so that we can help more men overcome their addictive behavior and bring more families back together. The majority of those we serve are homeless and do not pay anything towards the nearly $30,000 that it costs our program per student to provide the job training, certifications, education, counseling, and basic needs.
Again, we desperately need your help and we ask that you please consider donating. Everything helps!
Students participate in vocational training 7 days per week and can even earn professional certifications through our partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College.
We recently completed an extensive school bus training project. Our students participated in this opportunity not only to learn about professionally painting and detailing vehicles, but they were also given an opportunity to give back to the program through their effort. Needless to say, our work far surpassed the expectations the school had for the bus. We believe this is a great opportunity for our organization to begin working with school buses and other commercial motor vehicles as a revenue source. This can be a powerful new venture for our program as we look for ways to generate sustainable revenue to support our students.
This is the Tabernacle on our property. Students, staff, and volunteers completely renovated the building.
Thank you for your support! We are grateful!
The Bridge Ministry, Inc. was founded informally in the home of William Washington more than twenty five years ago and began operating as a 501(c)(3) organization in December 1996. The Bridge works in Virginia to transform the lives of troubled men and their families by providing mentoring, vocational skills, education, and the relationships they need to bridge the gap from addiction to productive community and family life. The Bridge currently has an overall success rate of 86% and a 100% job placement rate.
The Bridge Ministry has a two-phase program which 1) receives men into an eighteen-month residential program in Buckingham County; and 2) allows certain men the opportunity to complete the last six months of the program in the Intern House in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Although The Bridge has a $600 admission fee per student, it is rarely received since the vast majority of the men who come to The Bridge are indigent, sometimes having been without employment or visible means of support for quite some time. In many cases, they have been abandoned or rejected by their families.
The Programs
While the students are in the program, they are able to participate in a variety of vocational training opportunities. These opportunities include training in auto mechanic work, body shop work, manufacturing and assembly, landscaping, gardening, onsite construction, heating and air conditioning, electrical work, and heavy machinery operation.
Students also participate in classes at five days per week where they learn how to communicate in a positive way, work with others, lead their families, manage their finances, and become a productive member of their communities. The Bridge is a certified GED testing location, so students are able to earn their GED while in the program.
The Founder
Besides other honors, Bridge Ministry Founder and Executive Director William Washington was the recipient of a 2006 Bridge Builders Award, which recognizes the contributions of citizens “who succeeded in building bridges in our community.” He was the youngest recipient to date. Mr. Washington was also chosen as a Distinguished Dozen in 2004 by the Daily Progress, a local newspaper that recognizes twelve people each year who are leaders in the community. Mr. Washington has also written two books, His Grace is Sufficient: An Autobiography and People, Places, and Things: A Guide to Overcoming Addictive Behavior. These books share his journey overcoming his addiction and share steps to help others as well.
Why your donations are needed NOW
We have a great opportunity moving forward with the bank that holds the mortgage on our property and we desperately need your help so the Bridge can continue to fight homelessness, lack of education, unemployment, and the opioid epidemic. The bank has been very supportive of our mission and those we serve so they have extended a payoff opportunity for us to be debt free. They are willing to reduce our loan from $580,000 to only $200,000 if we can provide the funding by the end of October. This will greatly help our program move forward so that we can help more men overcome their addictive behavior and bring more families back together. The majority of those we serve are homeless and do not pay anything towards the nearly $30,000 that it costs our program per student to provide the job training, certifications, education, counseling, and basic needs.
Again, we desperately need your help and we ask that you please consider donating. Everything helps!
Students participate in vocational training 7 days per week and can even earn professional certifications through our partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College.We recently completed an extensive school bus training project. Our students participated in this opportunity not only to learn about professionally painting and detailing vehicles, but they were also given an opportunity to give back to the program through their effort. Needless to say, our work far surpassed the expectations the school had for the bus. We believe this is a great opportunity for our organization to begin working with school buses and other commercial motor vehicles as a revenue source. This can be a powerful new venture for our program as we look for ways to generate sustainable revenue to support our students. This is the Tabernacle on our property. Students, staff, and volunteers completely renovated the building.Thank you for your support! We are grateful!
Organizer
Ellie Craddock
Organizer
Katrine, VA
The Bridge Ministry, Inc.
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
