2024 A Year of Growth & Impact - A Message of Gratitude from Our Founder
Dear Friends,
As the year comes to an end, I look back in tremendous gratitude for your investment in the women who are growing and thriving with Bridges Reentry programs and services. We all can celebrate the growth of Bridges Reentry and actually witness the impact that this organization continues to have on peoples’ lives. The organization has grown in our strategic approach in how we do things. We see this in our program development, our staff development, and residential development. This year has been one of significant growth for Bridges Reentry as we continue to implement the Whole Woman Wellness strategy with expanded wrap-around services for our Magdalene House residents and mentees. Some highlights include:
Our Magdalene House comprehensive residential program now has a home in Goodyear and one in Avondale with 11 women participating in its 2-year rent-free program. Our women are employed, active in their recovery, reunited with their families, paying it forward through volunteer service, and experiencing the joy of being part of a caring community of women supporting each other through the challenges of a successful reentry. Each woman has an actively engaged mentor walking by her side.
Our Raising My Voice and Your Money Your Goals programs continue to develop our women’s self confidence and financial literacy to better equip them to ‘do life’.
Our partnership with Walden University has expanded with 4 women pursuing their college degrees on full scholarships.
Transition to Success®, an evidence-based program that treats poverty as curable through a person mapping one’s dreams, has been introduced and Bridges Reentry is serving as the Arizona hub for training certified coaches who work with clients through this process. We conducted our first community forum and completed coach training for our staff, volunteers, and other nonprofits in the Valley. Bridges Reentry now has increased awareness, participation, and collaboration within the wider nonprofit community.
2025 will be a stretch year for Bridges Reentry as we balance continued growth and building equity at the same time. Yes, we need to build equity on our balance sheet by paying off a mortgage; but we also need to build equity in fairness and justice, recognizing that we don’t all start in the same place and constantly need to make ongoing adjustments to imbalances.
This means that Bridges Reentry gets to invest in each individual’s future to help them be the best they can be. We have a fantastically great start with that in developing scholarship opportunities with Walden University. There are two other important areas to develop…opening opportunities for building equity in the workplace and in housing. This will involve creating new relationships with sponsors and community partners. Our board will energetically face these challenges in 2025.
Your investment in these women’s hopes and dreams make a meaningful difference each and every day as they demonstrate persistence and courage to change their lives to become the best person they can be. Thank you for your compassion and caring, and thank you for investing in them as they continue to grow and thrive.
Peace and hope,
Deacon Gay Romack