HELPING OUR COMMUNITY
Make a Difference spotlights small ways you can make a big difference in the community. If your nonprofit organization has a wish list it would like to share, please contact Meredith Moss: MMoss@coxohio.com
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Building Bridges, a nontraditional wing of the Montgomery County probation unit, has been providing rehabilitation and case management services for at-risk youth between the ages of 9-18 since 1974.
Serving 200-300 young people each year, the organization has been successful in working alongside the Montgomery County Juvenile Court with a “Work Therapy” program that is the Building Bridges foundation.
Providing 25 or more after-school and summer activity groups weekly, the groups offer youngsters structure, discipline, the opportunity to learn skills, a chance to give back to the community and an incentive for appropriate behavior. They serve meals at homeless shelters, train and walk dogs at the Humane Society of Dayton, interact with veterans and the elderly, clean schools and parks, and accomplish other community assignments.
“As a service group, our mission is to be a safety net for troubled youth by redirecting them through programming that offers discipline, structure, and a supportive environment,” explains Clearcreek Twp. resident Kelly Lance, executive director. “Our budget is incredibly small, and we depend on volunteerism and financial support from individuals and corporations.”
Over 95 percent of donations, Lance says, go directly to programs helping the children.
The result, says Lance, is a dramatic improvement in participant self-esteem, a lower recidivism rate, sense of achievement, and better performance at school.
“We supply resources that the kids cannot get at home,” she adds. “Building Bridges offers services that the Montgomery County Juvenile Courts cannot offer on their own.
“With a little extra assistance, we can reach more kids and reach them at a younger age, helping them make wise choices,” Lance says.
Here’s their wish list:
* Brooms
* Trash “grabbers”
* Towels
* Leaf rakes
* Work gloves
* Trash bags
* Sunscreen
* Cleaning supplies (Soap, sponges, rags for car wash supplies)
* Deodorizer spray/Fabreeze
* Personal hygiene items
* Hand sanitizer
* Bottled water
* Belts
* Peanut butter and jelly
* Snacks (fruit snacks, small bags of chips)
* Fast-Food gift cards
* Art supplies
* Leather basketballs
* Footballs
* Athletic socks
* Bicycle helmets
* Bike tire pumps
* Bus passes & tokens
The group can also use donations worthy of raffling for their 5K and sand volleyball tournament.
Donations to Building Bridges can be mailed to or dropped off between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays to: Montgomery County Probation Services, 3501 Merrimac Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45405, or call ( 937) -224-8907 for more information. Larger donations will be picked up.
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