The Bridge

A picnic, game of catch, and a hike in the woods, what more could you need for a perfect afternoon?

We are excited to announce that Jennae Mollenkamp has joined the Bridge as a Youth Advocate. She brings a variety of experiences to her work here, from flower farming, to authoring and illustrating children’s books, to being an involved Aunt. Jennae is already well-loved by the children she spends time with as well as our team.

Welcome Jennae…we are so glad you are here!

Homemade slime is a favorite at The Bridge!

De'Marcus is rough on tires but he's learning to patch them himself, a much needed life skill for an avid bike rider.

A Week of Thankfulness, Day 7: As we wrap up Thanksgiving week and move into the Christmas season, we are the most thankful for the birth of our Savior Jesus! No greater gift has been given to us and that we are thankful for.

A Week of Thankfulness, Day 6: We are thankful for all our volunteers. From our Lunch Buddy volunteers that go into the schools each week to meet with their Buddies to our volunteers that serve at our family events, we are thankful for each and every one of you!

A Week of Thankfulness, Day 5: Happy Thanksgiving! Today, we are especially grateful for our tastebuds! We hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving meal as much as we did at our Friendsgiving event last week.

A Week of Thankfulness, Day 4: We are thankful for all the time we get to spend out in nature, exploring God's beautiful creation.

A Week of Thankfulness, Day 3: We are thankful for bicycles and strong legs to pedal them with! Bicycles are a favorite of many of our Life Buddies. We love going for a nice ride and exploring new places. Some of our Buddies are even learning how to repair their own bikes!

A Week of Thankfulness, Day 2:
We are thankful for the gift of creativity that God has given us all. For each child, creativity looks different. Some of our kids’ current favorite ways of expressing their creativity are painting, making Lego creations, playing Minecraft, and making slime. We love helping kids explore all the ways they can get creative!

We are thankful for so many things here at The Bridge. This Thanksgiving week, we will be highlighting a few of those things. To start the week off, we are thankful for quality time with people we love.

Last week, we were able to have a Friendsgiving dinner with many of our families, volunteers, and team members. We are thankful for the special time we were able to share together.

Our Life Buddy and Lunch Buddy mentors make a difference in the lives of their buddies. Equally, buddies make a difference in the lives' of their mentors.

Who do you think won?

After-school snacks at The Bridge are the best!

Gavin showing De'Marcus and Jennae a jumping spider. Learning looks different everyday for our Life Buddies!

A great pastry chef in the making. Nettie baked and decorated this cake for her sister’s 16th birthday.

Puzzle time on a rainy day.

Our Lunch Buddies program consists of more than just eating lunch with a student each week. Often times Lunch Buddies play games with their Buddies to help connect with them. We know that play disarms fear and when kids can just play and relax, fear fades away and deep connections are built. Maurice is building deep connections with his Lunch Buddy through a good game of Headbandz.

Make a difference, become a Lunch Buddy! https://www.bridgeoftopeka.org/lunch-buddies.html

All children are on a journey and each journey is unique; there is no specific checklist that is exactly the same from one child to another. We are grateful to be a part of our Lunch Buddies and Life Buddies' journeys and support them along the way with nurturing relationships.

Jah'Mereis enjoying a hike at Iliff Commons with his mentor, Chris.

Smiles all around!

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to have our Back-to-School BBQ. It was a relaxing time of fellowship after the busy start to the school year. Thank you to the families and volunteers that came out to spend time together.

The Bridge is seeking a full-time mentor. This mentor will serve as a positive, adult role model who will develop sustained, caring relationships, impacting each child for the long-haul.

Learn more: https://www.bridgeoftopeka.org/jobs.html

Every day is a good day to build a fort!

Two of our Life Buddies enjoyed exploring the trails at the Governor's Mansion with their mentor.

We want to celebrate the recent wedding anniversaries of two integral couples for The Bridge. Chris and Angie celebrated their 32nd anniversary and Gavin and Nicole celebrated their 7th anniversary.

Chris and Angie founded The Bridge back in February of 2008 and moved into the neighborhood. Chris has served as the Executive Director since the start and Angie has served in various roles through the years.

Gavin, who is currently one of our Life Buddy mentors, has served with The Bridge for twelve years off and on. Nicole has also helped in different capacities and blesses us with her photography skills. Gavin and Nicole are more than just team members, but friends and neighbors.

Happy anniversary Chris and Angie! Happy anniversary Gavin and Nicole!

We love partnering with churches that have a passion to be encouraging role models who show the love of Christ in all that they do. Lighthouse Bible Church has been a partner of The Bridge for many years and we are excited as they continue to serve students through our Lunch Buddy program.

Make a difference, become a Lunch Buddy!
https://www.bridgeoftopeka.org/lunch-buddies.html

We are excited to be partnering with a new church for our Lunch Buddies program, BridgePointe Community Church! BridgePointe launched this week and they are eager to show the light of Christ to children who need an extra adult in their lives.

After-school time, spent in the country, is always a favorite for our Life Buddies.

Join our mailing list to find out more of what is going on at The Bridge.

https://www.bridgeoftopeka.org/

Nettie's shirt says it perfectly, "I am the future."
Life Buddies invests in the future.

Exploring and learning about creatures big and small and how God made them all.

"We partner with Lunch Buddies because we believe that when the love of Jesus is expressed in life-giving relationships, people are changed." - Joe Hishmeh, lead pastor at Fellowship Bible Church.

FBC has partnered with The Bridge since 2011, sending volunteers out to serve as Lunch Buddies from the beginning. We see you, FBC. Keep up the good work!

Make a difference, become a Lunch Buddy!
https://www.bridgeoftopeka.org/lunch-buddies.html

We love a relaxing afternoon spent at the park.

Hey, Doxazo Ministries, we see you!

Pastor Patrick Garlock, of Highland Heights Christian Church, is also know as, Coach Patrick. When Patrick heard about Lunch Buddies, he immediately recognized an opportunity for his church. Highland Heights Christian Church is gearing up to adopt a school, sending volunteers out to mentor kids who need a safe adult friend. Stay tuned for stories of connection!

Make a difference, become a lunch Buddy!
https://www.bridgeoftopeka.org/lunch-buddies.html

When one of our Life Buddies said, "I want to learn to play golf." His mentor said, "Let's go!" When he said, "This is hard." his mentor said, "Oh, I know!"

At The Bridge, we have what we call "sticky phrases" which are short phrases packed with a lot of meaning. Our Life Buddy learned more about the sticky phrase, "I can do hard things" during their golfing outing.

Join our Team!