The Bridge of Northeast Florida, Inc.

The Bridge operates seven programs at school sites located in targeted impoverished communities throughout Jacksonville and serving over 800 students.The Bridge Urban Springfield (BUS) program, on the main campus, represents an integration of programs and services conscientiously designed to directly address the issues that effect children, youth and families who are burdened with having to live in troubled neighborhoods.
In the fall of 2003, the Jacksonville Housing Authority in partnership with the Jacksonville Children’s Commission asked The Bridge to begin an after school program in Southwind Villas Public Housing Project located at 8711 Newton Road in zip code 32216. The Project is a” high poverty pocket” i.e. a high poverty community in a more affluent zip code. The project is riddled with poverty, hunger and crime.

An association called Family Health Services was incorporated in February 1972, by a group of medical providers in Jacksonville to address the medical and health care needs of low income families in the inner city. In 1982 as a result of a JCCI study on teen pregnancy, Family Health Services evolved into The Bridge of Northeast Florida Inc. From its inception, The Bridge has targeted children of Jacksonville’s most over burdened poor families where the risk is the highest for negative outcomes.

Over the years, The Bridge has expanded to provide children with the health, educational and social programs they need to build productive lives. All Bridge programs are designed to provide opportunities for healthy social development, promote independent thought as well as team-centered skills, develop critical thinking skills, foster healthy youth and adult relationships and instill a sense of connection and pride in the community.

Straight Talk is an age appropriate comprehensive sexuality education program for youth ages 10 -17, provided through a partnership with The Jaguars Foundation. The aim of the program is to reduce the incidences of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

The EverBank Fast Path Program, a multi-level program, is designed to improve students’ financial literacy skills, provide supplemental academic and life skills mentoring, provide valuable work experience and other enrichment opportunities and offer opportunities for college scholarships and future employment.

The Bridge Scholarships began in 1994 to assist Bridge students who were unable to attend college due to extreme financial and social difficulties.

The Tipping the Scale Mentoring/Job Skills Program, a partnership with Baptist, St. Vincent’s and Shands Hospitals, has a mission is to support healthy behaviors for high risk youth through mentoring relationships and to prepare them for meaningful employment through job readiness and summer employment and/or acceptance into an institution of higher learning.

The students begin with a nutritious snack followed by a 60 minute homework assistance session. Certified teachers and volunteers assist the students with homework through one-on-one instruction, group help and specific skill tutoring focused on math and reading. In partnership with day time teachers, TEAM UP instruction reinforces the school day lessons.

A complementary daily enrichment session is held including participation in clubs, fine arts, sports, computer instruction and field trips created to further illustrate and bring to life classroom and book lessons.  To boost self-esteem and build assets, children are provided opportunities to develop leadership skills, responsibility, contribute to school, family and community; to make decisions and choices, to develop self-discipline and to deal with failure and mistakes. The program day ends with a nutritious meal before students are safely dismissed at 6 pm.