#hope

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Hope is Happening

Bridges of Hope

Sep 1, 2019
2 min

Hope is Happening

The year is past its midpoint; which means it’s time to check in on where we’re at thus far with programming and services. As of August 28th, we have helped over 900 households (approximately 2,250 people) this year! Here’s what just a few of those we’ve served had to say about their experience with Bridges of Hope: “I’m so glad I called you!” Amy was referred to an agency that helped install grab bars in her tub and shower for her mother, who had recently moved in with her,

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Marcy’s Moment

Bridges of Hope

Mar 1, 2019
2 min

Marcy’s Moment

One of the ways Bridges of Hope aims to support families and keep children safe in Crow Wing County is through Respite Services. This program provides no-cost, regularly scheduled childcare for families with mental health or behavioral challenges. Respite (usually 24 hours, once a month) allows both parents and children to experience a break from each other. As a result, parents have time to focus on self-care and to address their personal needs, and the break serves to allev

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A Generous Community

Bridges of Hope

Dec 19, 2018
3 min

A Generous Community

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” –Albert Schweitzer Bridges of Hope was created to connect people to the resources they need to resolve their situation, empowering them to thrive and gain hope. In 2018, we will serve approximately 1,500 households across the Lakes area, or nearly 4,200 individuals! The only

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The Power of Hope

Bridges of Hope

Dec 10, 2018
2 min

The Power of Hope

What do you hope for? For the past couple years, Bridges of Hope has been asking this question to Lakes Area residents as part of our fall fundraising campaign and as a part of our community-building efforts. Our mission at Bridges of Hope is to build bridges of support, anchored in Christ’s love, between families in the Lakes area and the community assets that can help them thrive and gain hope. But we can’t do that without you, the community! The responses we’ve received ov

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Partnering With You for a Healthier Community

Bridges of Hope

Nov 1, 2018
2 min

Partnering With You for a Healthier Community

At its core, Bridges of Hope was created to bridge gaps and connect people to resources; and the newly-launched Self-Healing Communities Project takes that work to the next level. It’s designed to improve health and social outcomes for people by reducing and ultimately preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences, or “ACEs.” Infographic created to share information about what adverse childhood experiences are, how prevalent they are and their impact.Web jpg One of our aims is to

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Hope in our Community

Bridges of Hope

Jul 31, 2018
2 min

Hope in our Community

It’s over halfway through the year; a good time to pause and look back on what we’ve done so far in 2018. A quick glance at our database tells me we’ve served over 750 households (~1,950 people) thus far through our 5 different programs; hallelujah! Praise God that there is hope when faced with hardship! I can look at numbers and graphs, trends and changes that speak to the volume of crisis faced here in the Lakes Area; but that doesn’t really breathe light into the ways live

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New Staff to Join Self-Healing Communities Efforts

Bridges of Hope

Jul 24, 2018
3 min

New Staff to Join Self-Healing Communities Efforts

Written by Jenny Holmes & Kassie Heisserer On the heels of announcing a new community collaborative project, Bridges of Hope has announced the addition of two new staff to help support this endeavor: Tom Gonzalez and Amy M. Wyant have been named Project Coordinators to support the Self-Healing Communities Project and will begin their positions in August 2018. Gonzalez joins Bridges of Hope from Pointway Church in Baxter and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Pastoral M

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Jess’s Moment

Bridges of Hope

May 30, 2018
2 min

Jess’s Moment

After the birth of their third child, Jess was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She experiences attacks, where the condition gets noticeably worse, followed by times of recovery where symptoms improve. Her husband, Thom, works full time to support their family, while Jess does what she can to take care of life at home. The youngest two children had their own set of health concerns. Between the two, they have likely spent more time in hospitals than most adults. Seizures ar

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Sara Jo’s Moment

Bridges of Hope

Aug 11, 2017
1 min

Sara Jo’s Moment

Sara Jo is a single parent of two school-age girls. She had recently been divorced and was living with her mother, something she never thought she would do again, since moving out after high school. Although she appreciated her mother’s willingness to take her and the girls in, Sara Jo knew that she and her girls needed more space than what they had–and so did her mom. Tensions were starting to run high some evenings, as the girls and her mother struggled to adjust to the ver

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Third-Annual Afternoon Tea a Success

Bridges of Hope

May 16, 2017
2 min

Third-Annual Afternoon Tea a Success

On Sunday, May 7, over 150 women, girls, and even some gentlemen joined Bridges of Hope at Cragun’s Legacy Pavilion on a beautiful and sunny afternoon in support of the women participating in Bridges’ Side by Side Mentoring Program, at the third-annual Afternoon Tea for Hope. This year’s event raised over $13,000 and featured a raffle, silent auction, games, food, and the ever-popular fire fighters from Brainerd and Nisswa who served tea & coffee, took selfies, sold raffle ti

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Diane’s Moment of Hope

Bridges of Hope

Dec 12, 2016
2 min

Diane’s Moment of Hope

[Note: Diane graciously allowed us to use her real name and details. Diane: thank you for your courage and generosity!] It has been 27 years since Diane made the life-changing decision to become, and remain, clean and sober. However, despite overcoming this huge obstacle, she continued to fight demons and encounter issues that tested her faith over all those years. Having been raised in the Aitkin area, Diane relocated to the Twin Cities area where she tackled her addictions

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Danielle’s Moment

Bridges of Hope

Dec 18, 2015
2 min

Danielle’s Moment

No matter what our “loose ends” might be, I hope we all take more than a few moments to pause, breathe, and prepare our minds & hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. At Bridges of Hope, we are helping individuals and families with more than loose ends. We are proud to do this rewarding, tough, and sometimes heartbreaking work. I want to tell you about one family in particular who is weighing heavily on my mind today. (I’ve changed the details about their

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What Does it Mean to Hope?

Bridges of Hope

Nov 11, 2015
3 min

What Does it Mean to Hope?

What does it mean to hope? For some, it’s the thought of building a dream home, or perhaps it’s anticipating an acceptance letter to your son or daughter’s first-choice college. It might be hoping for sunshine on a special day. For others, it means knowing you’ll have a warm meal tonight, the resources to afford a new coat or warm pair of boots for your child this winter, or having somewhere to call after the storm hits. This summer, many found themselves in hope of assistanc

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Storm Response: Proud of our Community!

Bridges of Hope

Aug 2, 2015
3 min

Storm Response: Proud of our Community!

Many of our neighbors were hit by the storm that produced up to 90 MPH straight line winds on July 12th. While some of us had just a few tree branches to rake up, others are currently living in homes with a tarp of the roof, and at least three homeowners have homes that were considered total losses. Bridges of Hope is proud to be participating in a still ongoing effort to care for those in our community who were impacted by this storm. In the days following the storm, we part

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Common Goods Now Open in Crosslake!

Bridges of Hope

Jul 1, 2015
1 min

Common Goods Now Open in Crosslake!

It’s been quite exciting and busy around here at Bridges of Hope! In case you haven’t heard, we are officially open for business at our new Common Goods location in Crosslake! We have amazing staff who are working hard to get the space fully up & running (we were able to get into the space just yesterday). We took our first donation (also yesterday), and I literally JUST received a call from our Retail Manager, Nate, stating we’ve made our first sale TODAY! As you can see in

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It Shouldn’t Hurt to be a Child

Bridges of Hope

Apr 20, 2015
2 min

It Shouldn’t Hurt to be a Child

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

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Inspiring Hope

Bridges of Hope

Mar 12, 2015
1 min

Inspiring Hope

I have the awesome privilege to work for an agency that I love and in a role that is a perfect fit for me. I am an Outreach Worker at Bridges of Hope and I provide in-home support to families that are in complex and challenging situations. One of Anna and Jacob’s biggest strengths was their desire for the betterment of their family and the well-being of their children. Though we all want what’s best, it takes a very strong couple to recognize that “wanting” something is not a

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The Role of Volunteers at Common Goods

Bridges of Hope

Mar 5, 2015
2 min

The Role of Volunteers at Common Goods

Bridges of Hope owns and operates a thrift store called Common Goods, which is located at 16227 Hwy 371 North in Baxter, Minnesota. If you have ever been to Common Goods, you have seen the end result of a very labor intensive process. Behind all of the shimmer, shine, and freshly steamed clothes there is an extreme amount of work that has gone into the final product. Every item that comes through the door at the store is checked, sorted, cleaned, painted, hung or steamed by g

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Loving Our Neighbors

Bridges of Hope

Jan 21, 2015
2 min

Loving Our Neighbors

At Bridges of Hope, our mission is to build bridges of support, anchored in Christ’s love, between families in the Lakes area and the community assets that can help them thrive and gain hope. Basically, that’s a fancy way of saying we want to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” Last year, somewhere around 7,000 of “our neighbors” reached out to Bridges of Hope for help (~2,600 households). We live out our mission each day through a range of programming that is designed to meet

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Charlotte’s Moment

Bridges of Hope

Dec 17, 2014
2 min

Charlotte’s Moment

I had the blessing of visiting with Charlotte about her experiences with Bridges of Hope over the last couple of years. Charlotte is a wonderfully warm, compassionate, confident, and strong woman. She didn’t always feel that way, though. A few years ago, low self-esteem and a general feeling of being “lost” had taken their toll on Charlotte. She found herself feeling depressed and alone and spent the next few months trying to get her life back on track. Charlotte told me that

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