At Bridge Builders Counseling & Mentoring we reach many low-income, one-parent families through our counseling and mentoring programs.
Counseling Component:
Consists of two licensed professional counselors. At any one time an average of 30 cases are open. These 30 families represent approximately 75 children. Most of those single parents are women. Qualified families are offered 24 sessions or 6 months of counseling (whichever comes last) at the cost of $2.00 to $10.00 (co-pay based on household income and size of the family). However, we never let their ability to pay interfere with them receiving help.
Mentoring For Boys:
We are working with many children desperately in need of a male role model in their lives. Offering male mentors for boys being raised without fathers has been invaluable. This is due in part to the ongoing accountability that is in place before the mentoring match is started. A background check is completed and pastoral and personal references are required. The men are asked to attend monthly support meetings throughout their mentoring experience. The men spend at least one hour a week with their mentee. This may include dinner, cutting the grass or walking through Sears. Many group events have taken place, one being an overnight camping trip complete with fishing and bows and arrows. For most of the boys this was a first time experience.
Mentoring For Single Moms:
Mothers and children who attend counseling at Bridge Builders are regularly offered the option of attending workshops, facilitated by the Bridge Builders Woman's Mentoring Program. Entitled "Family Link, Lock & Love Workshops," these are a time of community, connectivity, eating, talking and training for both current and past clients of BBC&M, as well as workshop training for children in grades k-5. Academic tutoring is available for students in grades 6-12.
The program runs four consecutive Monday evenings and offers discussion on:
- communication skills
- boundaries
- personality types
- love languages
- friendship topics
- identity
- resolving conflict
- and much more!
Workshops are currently scheduled for May and October, 2011. Please call the office, at 810-987-8772, for more details.
Funding:
Bridge Builders Counseling & Mentoring Inc. does not receive state or federal funding. Our support comes from businesses, foundations, donations, grants and most of all from individuals just like you. Many of us support missions over seas, in the meantime we can’t afford to miss the mission work right in our own back yard. We desire to be hands on with these high priority families, and need you along side us to keep the work on track. |
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