Jacksonville, FL

Josh Scobee, field goal kicker for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, reads to children who participate in at-risk programs for youth administered by The Bridge, at Barnes and Noble in Mandarin.

---

I talked with Zoe Ann Boyle yesterday about summer day camp for children at The Bridge of Northeast Florida, an organization offering support for education, nutrition, health and counseling for at-risk youth. Boyle told me something, citing study findings by Johnson & Johnson, that astounded me. “African-American children,” she says, “are 50 to 60 times more likely to drown.”

That’s one reason swim lessons are offered, in addition to other sports skills, math and reading review, and arts enrichment. The camp provides these opportunities and many others to children in need. The nonprofit organization is one of Jacksonville’s greatest success stories related to at-risk children. Individuals from the community can sponsor camp for one or more children.

It’s not unusual to hear stories about girls who are the first in their families to graduate high school without having dealt with teen pregnancy. The Bridge is dependably accountable with revenue. “The money goes to the children,” says Boyle, who handles press matters as well as grant writing. “We do quality programs.”

I toured The Bridge last spring as part of an event organized by board member Carole Poindexter. At that time, Poindexter, who is CEO for Baker Distributing, Inc. here in Jacksonville, chaired the board. As we visited different areas in the facility, I realized the incredible opportunity The Bridge offers children who early on confront challenges many of us cannot imagine.

One of my favorite success stories is a young woman named Britnee, who currently serves in the United States Army, training recruits in Missouri.

Child of a single mother, Brittnee describes her life before The Bridge:

One of the things that was hard was having three younger siblings and being expected to look after them all the time. Because I was having such a hard time in school and getting poor grades, I started going to The Bridge Urban Springfield (BUS) Afterschool Program in the seventh grade. I had to take care of my brothers and sister while my mother worked a night shift in housekeeping at Shands Hospital. I was talking back to teachers and being pretty angry most of the time. I took out my anger toward my Mom on other people. I missed a lot of school because I was so tired from caring for the younger children at night.

How much difference did this organization make in this child’s life? Brittnee describes it herself:

During the past five years, I have developed a positive image of myself through relationships and activities at The Bridge. I learned to take care of my health, including my teeth, due to visits from the Health Department’s Dental Van at The Bridge. I became a youth representative on The Bridge Board of Directors. I take my commitments seriously. I have developed a positive attitude. I have worked in a hospital and have job experience due to a partnership The Bridge has with the Baptist and St. Vincent’s Hospitals. I have learned to believe in myself and my future! I show it with my big smile. I have a four year scholarship through “Take Stock in Children”. My Bridge Counselor has been my mentor. I want to be a Dental Hygienist. I want to help others have a “big and beautiful smile”.

This young woman’s success story is one of many The Bridge of Northeast Florida can claim over a history spanning more than 20 years.

Dr. Davalu Parrish founded The Bridge as a means of helping children cope with challenging circumstances. The summer camp is one of an abundance of outreach programs the organization provides.

It’s not a stretch to say her efforts and those of the team at The Bridge are literally saving children, not just from drowning in water, but from drowning in adversity as well.

For more information, visit the Web site: The Bridge of Northeast Florida. (text by Kay B. Day; photo courtesy of The Bridge of Northeast Florida)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, The Bridge of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Jaguars, at-risk youth, education, nutrition, arts enrichment, summer camp, swimming lessons