President and CEO
The Bridge of Northeast Florida
Mission
To promote the development of healthy, productive self-sufficient youth and families by providing comprehensive educational, social and health programs to those in need.
Serving Jacksonville
Since 1972.
Those served
Youth in ZIP codes 32206, 32207, 32208, 32209, 32211, 32216, 32217, 32225, 32246 and 32277. The main campus at 8th and Pearl streets serves more than 600 children and teens each year. The Bridge has eight satellite programs and we collectively served 2,700 children and teens in 2010-11.
Biggest challenge
Staff members are our biggest asset for achieving our goals, so the challenge is keeping staff recognized, supported and equipped with the resources and skills they need to operate effective programs within the complex challenges of our environment and mission. Secondly, of equal importance, keeping our supporters, partners and funders “tuned in” and “turned on” to our story and the significant results of their investment.
Biggest satisfaction
The joy of relationships with students, staff, board and partners who understand the meaning of “building bridges.” For students, it is the impact I see on their lives through a caring organization, an organization that embodies constant care, belief in them and holds them accountable for standards and what they are capable of achieving and becoming. For staff, it is the synergy of working together, believing in each other and the teamwork that is so powerful. For our board and partnerships, it is the strong bond and unyielding perseverance that together we can make a positive impact on the painful web of poverty, school dropout and teen pregnancy.
Hometown
Broken Arrow, Okla.
First experience with community service
When I was in college, I volunteered for community service in a Bethlehem Center for children in a high poverty area of Oklahoma City. I fell in love with the beautiful children and saw appalling need for hope and caring.
Your job before The Bridge of Northeast Florida
For five years, I was a teacher in the public schools at Mary McLeod Bethune and then a teacher in the Young Parents School for pregnant school girls. The immediate position before The Bridge was as an educator/counselor at Planned Parenthood and an adjunct professor in the psychology department at the University of North Florida.
Upcoming events
Oct. 19: 4 p.m., the ribbon-cutting for the Schools for the Future Academy at the Weaver Zone, our main campus at 8th and Pearl streets. The school is a public-private partnership, not a charter. SFF Academy is a national pilot for students that are two years behind, ages 14-17 years. The partners are Duval County Schools, Schools for the Future Inc., Jacksonville Public Education Fund and The Bridge.
End of October: The Phantom Ball, our signature “nonevent.” The invitations are mailed out at the end of October. Each year a theme is chosen that is witty and funny and hosted by prominent supporters. We discovered many people want to pay not to attend another event, but they do want to support a program that is relevant and based on best practices and producing measureable outcomes. Thanks to a caring group of supporters, we have had good fundraising results of $24,000 to $26,000 from this nonevent the past five years. We do not have the staff to orchestrate large fundraising events.
Contact information
Our new and revised website will be launched this month.
www.bridgejax.com.
Development Director Zoe Ann Boyle at Zoe_Ann@bridgejaxcom.