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2023 | May
FACING THE TRUTH

Greetings!

May and June are graduation season at Bridges To Life. As our Spring projects come to an end, we anticipate over 6,000 inmates will complete the BTL program in prisons across Texas and beyond! It is also a time that graduates write to us, sharing their gratitude for the program and how they have changed.

This recent letter got our attention as the writer concisely expressed the key to BTL's impact:

"Dear Mr. Sage,
____I am a graduate of the Bridges To Life program. I have participated in many self-help programs, and I found that Bridges To Life is by far the most profound. Bridges showed me the awesome power of forgiveness. It put a mirror up to my face and I did not like what I saw.
____So many people walk through life not realizing the collateral effects of their actions. Through Bridges, I came face to face with the pain I caused, and that gave rise to a core change in my life. I truly pray that others may experience the light I found in your program. Bridges To Life is a Godsend to incarcerated individuals."
____
As this inmate discovered, when BTL's courageous crime victim volunteers share their stories in our program, offenders come face to face with the pain they have caused. This experience of empathy opens the heart so that God can come in and do His perfect work of restoration and healing. We pray that all of our graduates may continue to live in that light.

In gratitude,
John Sage, CEO
Jim Buffington, COO
STEPPING UP
In 2019, over 900 volunteers were actively participating in Bridges To Life, our highest level of volunteer participation ever! Then the pandemic hit, closing prisons to volunteer-led programs like BTL.
As we've recovered from that difficult time, BTL has now expanded into more prisons and will have more graduates than at any time in our history. With this additional growth, we need your help like never before!
If you've ever been interested in becoming a BTL volunteer, now is the perfect time to take action! Contact the Regional Coordinator in your area to find out how.

If you have volunteered with us before, please consider returning to active service. We believe your heart will be reignited as you once again serve those in need of the light.

"Yes, it takes time and effort to be a BTL volunteer,
but the rewards are immeasurable."
--John Sage
PLANNING AHEAD
If you're over 70, there is a way to give to Bridges To Life that takes advantage of recent changes in tax laws.
Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) allow individuals who are 70-1/2 or older to give directly from their IRAs, rather than having to take a minimum required distribution that would trigger income tax penalties. In addition to the benefits of giving to a charitable organization, a QCD excludes the amount donated from taxable income, which is unlike regular withdrawals from an IRA.
Consult with your tax or financial advisor for more information.
Read the IRS.gov article on this topic here.