Posted by Wesley Paraham on Mar 10, 2020
March 8-14 is AmeriCorps Week 2020, and we’re celebrating each day by shining a light on one of the dedicated and hard-working AmeriCorps Service Members serving at BRIDGES! Hello, I am Kiera Aycock and I’m so thrilled to be serving as an AmeriCorps member with BRIDGES this year! I am a recent graduate from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. During my free-time I enjoy traveling, catching up with friends, watching television and film, and finding new music. I chose to serve through AmeriCorps to give back to the city and program that gave so much to me. This program helped me focus on what values
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Posted by Wesley Paraham on Mar 09, 2020
March 8-14 is AmeriCorps Week 2020, and we’re celebrating each day by shining a light on one of the dedicated and hard-working AmeriCorps Service Members serving at BRIDGES! My name is Jerome Davis. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. In December of 2016, I graduated from Huntingdon College with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. As an undergraduate, I served as President of the Black Student Union and as a Senate member in the Student Government Association (SGA), as well as being a 2 time letterman of the Huntingdon Hawks Basketball team. I enjoy all things outdoors (fishing, hiking, exploring, etc) and also a
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Posted by Wesley Paraham on Mar 08, 2020
March 8-14 is AmeriCorps Week 2020, and we’re celebrating each day by shining a light on one of the dedicated and hard-working AmeriCorps Service Members serving at BRIDGES! My name is Diarra J. Smith and I am a first-year service member with AmeriCorps this upcoming year. I am originally from Memphis, therefore, as a Memphis native, my favorite hobby is eating with a side of Memphis-style barbecue! While home, I truly enjoy hanging out with friends and family, and swimming during these hot summer months. If it’s not yoga on the river, you can catch me at any of the local brunch spots with fellow UT alum. This upcoming
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Posted by Melissa Whitby on Mar 06, 2020
Providing a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff is always our top priority, so BRIDGES is taking some proactive measures to prepare in the event of coronavirus impacting Shelby County. We are monitoring all information coming from the CDC, Tennessee Health Department and Shelby County Health Department on an ongoing basis and adjusting our protocols as recommended by health experts. BRIDGES is implementing more stringent cleanliness for our activities and spaces, including: requiring all employees to wash their hands before and after group facilitations and workshops deep cleaning and disinfecting surfaces within our facility multiple times daily continuing to provide hand sanitizer to all employees, students, volunteers and visitors requiring anyone
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Posted by Melissa Whitby on Feb 01, 2020
In their Jan. 30 regular meeting, the BRIDGES Board of Directors unanimously voted in five new members and a new slate of officers for the 2020 term. New Board Members Micah Greenstein Senior Rabbi Temple Israel Micah is a parent of two Bridge Builder alumni and has been involved with BRIDGES for many years. As the eighth senior rabbi in Temple Israel’s 165-year history, Rabbi Micah D. Greenstein has served his congregation for almost three decades, sustaining its position as the largest synagogue in Tennessee and the Deep South. Reflecting Temple Israel’s commitment to serving the greater community, Greenstein was recognized as the first “Memphian of the Year” by Memphis
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Posted by Wesley Paraham on Jan 22, 2020
Dana Wilson has become the new President and CEO of BRIDGES USA as of January 2020, succeeding former CEO Cynthia Ham. Wilson, who has been with the organization for over 10 years, was selected by unanimous vote of the BRIDGES Board of Trustees on Sept. 27, 2018. This is the first time in BRIDGES’ history that the board has chosen a staff member from within the ranks as the next leader of the organization. “Dana is uniquely suited for this job,” said Ham. “She has the passion for youth leadership development, valuable education credentials, management experience, fundraising abilities, a collaborative nature and an abiding love of Memphis. BRIDGES is a
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Posted by Melissa Whitby on Jan 15, 2020
The Shelby County Youth Council, a youth-led and youth-focused advisory council which provides feedback and recommendations on Shelby County policy, will hold their inaugural Shelby County Youth Summit on February 21, 2020 at BRIDGES, USA. The Youth Summit is a free event that will bring together 200 youth from all over Shelby County to discuss how our community’s most pressing issues affect all youth and to create solutions. Attendees will participate in workshops to learn more about criminal justice, poverty, education, mental health, and transportation issues. At the end of the summit, a representative from each focus area will share group feedback with key Shelby County stakeholders. Dara Adamolekun, a
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Posted by knetzler on Aug 12, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 12, 2019 Memphis, TN – Shelby County Commissioners and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris are looking for young people who are passionate about civic engagement and want to develop a working knowledge of county government. This first-ever investment in a Shelby County Youth Council was accomplished in partnership with youth leaders trained by the local nonprofit BRIDGES. BRIDGES’ work with youth dates back to 1988 and they are currently working “on the forefront of the national movement for youth-led social change.” “As a Bridge Builder alum, I am proud of Bridge Builders CHANGE for taking on this initiative. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of
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Posted by knetzler on Jul 30, 2019
Our newest BRIDGES staffer, donor relations specialist Maya Benson, is a Bridge Builder alum and a 2015 graduate of White Station High School. Maya double-majored in international studies and German and earned a minor in nonprofit management at the University of Memphis, and we are so excited to welcome her back to BRIDGES! How did your experience as a Bridge Builder influence your path after high school? Bridge Builders kind of threw me for a loop, experiencing other places in Memphis I had never been and meeting other people who were completely different for me. It definitely helped shape me to focus on leadership and communication. I wanted to know
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Posted by knetzler on May 20, 2019
Germantown High School graduating senior David Lee, a Bridge Builder of four years and BB CHANGE Fellow, has been named as a 2019 recipient of the prestigious Gates Scholarship. Presented by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the award provides full scholarships for 300 exceptional, Pell-eligible, minority high school seniors from across the country. Lee, of Collierville, has served for the last two years in the Memphis Youth Union cohort of Bridge Builders CHANGE. He plans to attend Duke University this fall, following in the footsteps of his two older sisters and fellow Bridge Builder alums, Christine (’14) and Elizabeth (’17). David drew on his transformative experiences at Bridge Builders
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