Bridges of Hope Allegan County celebrated two years in business and a new office space Tuesday, Aug. 30, with the group now a space of its own on Grant Street in Plainwell.
The new office, the group’s vice president Nancy Heilig said, its due to the generosity of a local businesswoman.
“I had a financial practice for so many years and I sold it to Deborah Clark, who has Clearwater Financial,” Heilig said. “She decided she was going to purchase what we call the old dentist building and she moved in there.
“She called me up and said I don’t really want to rent that place, how about I donate it for Bridges?
“I said, “I’d love you forever Debbie.’”
Bridges of Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in Plainwell that works to eliminate poverty. Previously it had been working out of a space at the Plainwell United Methodist Church.
Heilig said the new space was welcome and helpful.
She said “It’s because we’re growing so rapidly. We’ve now graduated 30 people from our Getting Ahead class and it takes a lot of organizing.”
The class pays people to attend and provides transportation and childcare. It aims to teach people strategies they can use to help get themselves out of poverty.
Seven people who’ve taken the class have gotten high school diplomas, Heilig said, with several more who’ll soon be getting GEDs and at least two who’ve been taking community college classes, while many others have gotten better jobs.
The group describes its mission as “...to foster relationships with individuals desiring to move out of poverty by providing tools, support, education and connections to community resources.”
Heilig said the group now has an administrative assistant, Jenifer Mitchell, and has had an intern and hopes to again soon.
“They can all be a lot more efficient if they have their own office to work instead of sharing a little tiny space at the church,” Heilig said.
The group’s recent children’s play was well-attended, Heilig said, with 116 people coming. There was no charge for attendance, Heilig said, but they did take donations.
“I told the children whatever money they got, they could decide what to do with it. Well, Craig’s Cruisers is the place to go,” she said.
The kids who appeared in the play will get to take that trip sometime soon, she said.
The organization also has a “wish list mobile” in the new office, which people can see at the office.
The wish list includes items such as scotch tape, 9-inch by 12-inch manila envelopes, manila folders, printer paper, a paper cutter, a digital camera, a label maker, a coffee pot, a microwave, a vacuum, and, of course, gift cards (Meijer, Staples, Office Max, etc).
Anyone interested in donating any of these items (new or gently used), can drop them off at the office on a Tuesday or Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. or call to set up another time.
Heilig said the group could always use more help and would find a use for it.
“We’ve been very blessed to get good people, but we do need more volunteers,” she said. “We need transportation, so if people could just do that, we can use young people who can babysit. It’s just a few hours a month.
“We’re only two years old and we just think we’re doing well.”
The office is at 108 E. Grant St. in Plainwell.
The group can be contacted at (269)-204-6041, bridgesofhopeallegancounty@gmail.com or soon at www.bridgesofhopeallegancounty.org.
Bridges of Hope were welcomed to the neighborhood Aug. 30. Pictured are (from left) president Gail Hill, Plainwell Mayor Rick Brooks, vice president Nancy Heilig and Plainwell Economic Development Manager Denise Siegel. (Photo provided)
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