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,

“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

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

Just as the heat of summer is ramping up, the last thing you want to find is your refrigerator inoperable. Shauna called Bridges of Hope on a hot day in June, frantic and frustrated. She had just spent half the year nesting away every penny she could pinch when disaster decided to strike again, and her fridge stopped working. She had been frugal with her budget and had a small savings for emergencies, but that had been purposed towards a new well for her home which was close

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

Rachel arrived in Brainerd by bus late on a Friday afternoon. She had recently escaped an abusive relationship, and though an order for protection was in place, safety was not yet found as her abuser had begun stalking her. Rachel had no supportive relationships in her hometown, and her closest family lived hours away. Her local Police Department recommended she stay at a women’s shelter and purchased her a bus ticket to get to the nearest one. Although Rachel could only pack

“Shocked” was the emotion Levi used to describe how he felt after reading the notice sent out by his health insurance provider. There had been some kind of error with his premium calculations, so he would have a temporary spike in his monthly premium costs to correct the issue—to the tune of over $500 each month, for three consecutive months. “It felt so unfair–we’re getting penalized for someone else’s mistake.” Like many of us, Levi was not fond of asking for help, and didn

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

[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

Then one afternoon late last fall Liz called again, and once again I expected to talk to her about why she didn’t need any gas, clothing or furniture yet, but this time, Liz had moving plans! We were thrilled for her. We were able to confirm the details with Liz’s mental health worker, and then things really started to take off. Because we all wanted this move to be successful for Liz, I talked to her about her new responsibilities; such as paying her rent on time, buying gro

Whether you have air conditioning or not, it can be hard to keep cool during the hot summer months that we all LOVE here in Minnesota! I try VERY hard not to complain, since we get so few months to enjoy warmth outdoors, but some days (and nights!) the heat and humidity can be almost unbearable. Maybe you have central air throughout your house, or maybe you don’t have any at all. Maybe you have an air conditioner but want to try use it as little as possible to save on energy

[Last updated: 7/28/15] Bridges of Hope is helping to coordinate some of the relief efforts following the major storm that hit the Lakes Area on 7/12/15. We will be doing our best to keep this post updated regularly during the clean-up process. Please call our office if you need help at 218.825.7682. We are a ‘small but mighty’ staff and will do our best to connect you with resources. Office hours are 8:00 am-4:30 pm, Monday-Thursday, and 8:00 am-2:00pm on Friday. Volunteer g

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

This year marks the 10th year that Bridges of Hope has been offering Crisis Nursery Services to the Brainerd Lakes Area. Yes, you read right–TEN YEARS! That’s a decade of giving parents a safe childcare option during a family crisis, which translates into thousands of children placed into the loving care of our selfless providers since the start of the program. So what exactly is Crisis Nursery? It is a safe, positive childcare option for parents that have nowhere else to tur

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

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

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

Do you know what happened when local 5th graders were given: 100 popsicle sticks, some white glue, strong science classroom instruction, and a boost of expertise from local design & engineering firms? Building Bridges 2015 happened, that’s what! The event took place at Forestview Middle School this past Monday evening with over 600 people in attendance. Check out this crowd! Then everyone was able to watch the testing for the Strength Category which is always a good time… …fi

At Common Goods we are fortunate to receive a variety of unique furniture pieces from our generous donors. Some of these items can go directly to the sales floor. Other times, the pieces we receive need a little extra love and attention. At Common Goods, we call this process “upcycling“. It can be as simple as a new coat of paint, or it can be somewhat more complicated, requiring multiple steps which results in a complete transformation. For those wanting to delve into upcycl

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