Last month at our new signature event, Create, we had the opportunity to honor five Bridge for Youth staff members with our annual Legacy Awards. These individuals have upheld the Bridge’s legacy by being committed to our mission for over ten years!
Congratulations to:
-Richard Bell – 11 Years | Youth and Family Advocate
-Sue Hostetler – 11 Years | Data & Evaluation Manager
-Angela Alvarez – 13 Years | Started as an Intern, now our HR & Admin Director
-Felor Rostami – 13 Years | Youth and Family Advocate
-Ramaa Hudnell – 25 Years | Youth and Family Advocate
For over a decade, these staff have shown up with courage and investment amid crisis, centered every youth’s voice, used their own voice to advance the mission, and gave youth support when they needed it most.
Thank you to our Legacy Award winners for the important work you do.
Warm weather means gathering at our monthly commUNITY in the Courtyard celebrations. To commemorate the season, youth and staff had an Earth Day inspired celebration! Together we decorated vases, created our own flower bouquets, and did a neighborhood cleanup. Additionally, we were joined our friends at The Joy Collaborative who brought their mobile sensory room – The Joy Mobile. We look forward to more warm days spent in commUNITY together!
April is National Volunteer Month and at The Bridge for Youth we know our work can’t be done without the gift of time from our awesome volunteers. In fact, our commUNITY gave over 1,200 hours of their time in 2024 alone. Read about our amazing front desk volunteers, Kathy and Helen, and learn what volunteering at The Bridge means to them. Read more about our amazing front desk volunteers.
At Create, the voices and talents of youth with lived experience were front and center at our youth art show. We were lucky to receive dozens of submissions across different mediums, and the pieces were proudly displayed at our fundraiser. Five select pieces were chosen to be auctioned off at the event, with proceeds going to the work we do here at The Bridge. Thank you to our youth art winners for helping us inspire gifts to make youth feel safe, accepted and supported! Check out our youth art show winners.
We are lucky to have a commUNITY of supporters who continuously show up for youth in meaningful ways. We’d like to give a special shoutout to some of the folks who took the time this past month to support youth experiencing homelessness:
-Students from Shakopee’s Bridge for Youth Club visited The Bridge to drop off selfcare items.
-Students from Jackson Middle School in Champlin donated books and care items as a part of their middle school capstone projects.
-Volunteers from Ardent Mills’ Spectrum LGBTQ+ ERG did an Earth Day cleanup in our courtyard.
-Volunteers from McKinstry returned to The Bridge to pack kits for our Mobile Youth Outreach Center.
-Vans Shoes began a partnership to make monthly donations of shoes and clothing.
-We’re so thankful for our commUNITY of support.
If you are looking for creative ways to give back to The Bridge, contact [email protected] to learn more.
