FPTV hosted our first Summer Olympics this month! The event was a blast with one of our program kiddos gushing through winded breath, “this-is-the-best-thing-ever!” Approximately 35 people participated in either food, events, or both with an additional 18 volunteers preparing food, awarding ribbons, and running all of the games that volunteer Karen E. provided. This was a gold medal event for sure! Thank you to all who made this event possible. We remain kid-centered with our on-site summer camp activities in full swing. This week included viewing bugs with magnifying glasses, chemical reactions (including a volcano), robots, solar cars, and engineering. One of our volunteers who works closely with FPTV program children stated, “Sometimes as we work with them it is easy to forget the radical changes they are going through in their lives. Their laughter and enthusiasm are wonderful.”

We continue working on our building and we remain in need of volunteer help from those with experience in drywall, plumbing, electrical, irrigation/landscaping, painting, and carpet cleaning. Please reach out if you can help!

"A child’s education is like a canvas, with every lesson adding a stroke of brilliance." Thanks to our generous supporters and volunteers, children in our program can add vivid strokes to their canvas. Recent highlights include our science week, sponsored by a Lam Research Community Giving Grant and the FLIP Museum.

Lam employees and Coco Camp volunteers helped support scientific exploration and enhance classroom learning. A teenager in our program mentioned struggling with high school science and wished for more science-oriented summer programs. Thanks to Lam Research and our volunteers, we met this need with our science camp.

The FLIP Museum is another example of community partnership and summer enrichment at Bridge to Home. Their mobile museum, featuring fun, learning, inspiration, and play, will visit four times this summer and continue monthly visits during the school year. This is especially important during our shelter renovations, providing a vital space for children to gather and build community.

We invite you to continue supporting educational opportunities at Bridge to Home by volunteering for enrichment activities or donating school supplies.

From the opening ceremony complete with the parade of athletes to celebrating the addition of breakdancing as an added event, our Summer Olympics night covered it all. We hosted fifteen events complete with ribbons for participation in each event. Large and small children in our program enjoyed sportsmanship, competition, and an award-winning evening of fun. Did we mention hotdogs, watermelon, chips, veggie/fruit platters, scrumptious homemade desserts, and water balloons? Special thanks to Karen Emerson, Rick Schisler, Syndi McIver and Robyn Folsom for making this event happen!

Consider joining our dedicated team of volunteers! You will work hand-in-hand with our staff to help program families regain sustainable independence.

Quote from recent volunteer family who assisted with art camp and assembling furniture:

"My family LOVED our Sunday fun! My husband and I had a meeting last night with our Stake President and we shared with him the fun of the day. His exact words, 'What a beautiful, FUN thing to do with your family on Sunday!' Could NOT agree more! Theresa was so perfectly prepared and the project was exactly right for the children AND their parents!" 

On-site volunteers need to complete two training modules which cover trauma-informed care guidelines. This training is conveniently available online 24/7 and takes approximately two hours to complete. Click here to get started!

Your support fuels our mission and makes a real difference in the lives of those we serve. We are currently hosting a school supply drive so we can provide all the students at a Bridge to Home with the supplies they will need. Please consider donating some of our most needed items:

• School supplies including backpacks, paint sets, sharpies, and headphones
• Diapers size newborn, 5, and 6
• Swiffer mops or mops of any kind
• Auction items for our annual Eat, Drink, and Be Giving Fundraiser including activities such as restaurant experiences, sports events, golf, pottery classes, or axe throwing