Dear ourBRIDGE friends,
2020 did more than mandating the global use of masks and social distancing. Because COVID-19 disproportionally affected communities of color, it magnified the systems that are rooted in racism, mandating all of us to reflect on what normal really means. 2020 ignited a movement of justice, equity and respect for all. I hope you felt it too.
At ourBRIDGE, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed our limits to think beyond what's possible to stay relevant to our work and our mission, while keeping our focus centered in the community (check out what we've done in the Spring and the Fall)
We decided to open the doors of our center as a Full Day CMS Remote Learning Site, welcoming 100 students from 7:45 am - 4:00 pm, 4 days per week. We will operate this way until it is safe for all kids go back to school in person every day. We will then return to our days of afterschool awesomeness! We are looking forward to plan again field trips to the beach, ice cream in the mountains, our cooking club and cultural performances open to everyone in the community ❤️
Some other 2020 changes will be more permanent. One of them being our ability to further our mission of fostering the education, acculturation and resilience of children and families beyond the neighborhoods where current ourBRIDGE kids live. We have created partnerships and established systems of support that reach families all across Charlotte including the South Blvd, University and even Pineville areas! I am thankful to our staff, our volunteers, board members and our donors whose flexibility and trust allowed us to make this all happen.
As we welcome 2021, we continue evaluating community needs regularly and taking every opportunity to support as many families as possible. Please consider making a donation to ourBRIDGE HERE to help us do even more.
On behalf of everyone at ourBRIDGE, I wish you a 2021 full of health and love. SALUD, Y FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!
Cheers!
Sil Ganzó
Executive Director
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Our staff/students ratio in 2020-21 is 5:1. This allows us to stay on top of every student's synchronous and asynchronous learning during the school day, and to provide guidance to complete their homework and other assignments when classes are over. Our ELL (English Language Learner)-based curriculum during this remote learning year offers many different opportunities daily to explore and practice skills in nature, play, science, art, culture, math, literacy, etc. |
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REPRESENTATION MATTERS: 70% of our team members are refugees, immigrants or 1st generation American. Over 85% of us are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). We have hired two former Bridge Kids and two ourBRIDGE parents!
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Ms. Thin Thin, an ourBRIDGE parent from Burma, started her second year as a tutor! |
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Welcome to our team Mr. Kevin! 🇪🇨 We are lucky to have you.
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READING WITH MS. LINDA
For the past decade, over 500 ourBRIDGE refugee and immigrant kids have read with Ms. Linda! We anticipate that each of our 100 students will receive 20 hrs or more of individual literacy tutoring by the end of this school year.
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#GIVINGTUESDAY2020
To be able to fully participate in remote classes, each child needed a headset that reduced background noise and had a strong, reliable microphone. This was a expense we did not think of! THANK YOU for helping us bring that barrier down.
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Winter Party ~ 2020 Style!
One of the things we mastered this year is how to host successful drive-through events.
For our Annual Winter Party for ourBRIDGE families, we asked the community for coats, winter accessories and toys. We were MINDBLOWN by the response!
Every single one of the families who visited our parking lot (over 100!) went home with new blankets, winter clothing for the entire family, new toys, hot chocolate and freshly made dinner. To make the night even more special, Aldersgate opened its gates for a drive through the beautiful Christmas light show in their campus.
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MEALS DELIVERY AND DISTRIBUTION |
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Our ability to adapt our efforts effectively continues being noticed. We even made it to The New York Times!
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ourBRIDGE for KIDS | 980-272-6022 | Info@joinourbridge.org |
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