Child abuse is difficult to think about, but we need to think about it and we need to create a community where parents are supported and children are nurtured. April is Child Abuse Prevention month, another time of year to bring awareness to the struggles parents and children in our community are facing. It’s a time to shine a light on the good work being done to strengthen families. Here at Bridges of Hope, we are proud to partner with Crow Wing County in a state-wide progra

Have you ever just “unplugged” for a day, or even for a few hours? You know…put your phone away, turned off the TV, walked away from the computer…and just…lived in the present moment for awhile? Are you curious to know what might happen? I was. I like being connected to others…remotely…from my couch…via my phone. I like always having something do turn to in case the slightest hint of boredom sets in. I like looking like I have something REALLY important to read while I’m wait

Are you a frantic family?  Do you sometimes wonder if have you have over-scheduled your kids? Now that we are a couple of months into school, there continues to be a multitude of extra-curricular opportunities for our kids to get involved in. Even your preschoolers have more opportunities than ever before! In his book called Putting Families First, Dr. William Doherty states: “In the past twenty years, children’s free time has declined by twelve hours a week, time spent on st

Ashley and Dustin are a married couple with two children. The family has been struggling to make ends meet for quite a while. So often, when families live in poverty, it is extremely difficult to get ahead. For this family, and for many families living in poverty, the saying “when it rains it pours” was completely accurate. Ashley contacted Bridg Ashley called back, less than a month later: she and Dustin had both found jobs! They needed help with gas for their first week of

Molly would be going back to her job after her maternity leave but she and James were worried about how they would pay the mortgage and still provide for their three beautiful children in the meantime. James’ time off from work during the first round of chemo had depleted the family’s savings. Erica, a Resource Specialist at Bridges of Hope, got to work right away suggesting two helpful resources. She helped Molly fill out applications for two programs: Cradle of Hope and Pay

Hello friends! I want to give you a quick update about the Run for Hope – we are moving it to the Pa This 5k is for people of all ability levels. A few of our staff are brand new to the “running scene” and are using Couch to 5k type apps to get ready for June 15th. If we can do it, YOU can too! We plan to run a little, walk a little and even crawl if we have to. Join us! For only $20 (for those 10 & up), you get a great looking t-shirt, the book Every Body Matters, and a wate