Mission Statement
Bridge-to-Action
Bridge-To-Action is a grass roots, multi-cultural, non-denominational, non-political organization of volunteers whose mission is to improve the lives of individuals and communities through a variety of charitable and outreach projects. Bridge-To-Action does this by providing, through its volunteers, a range of services and resources
- to supplement those of established charitable and service organizations at local, national and global levels
- to address unmet needs it identifies in communities at local, national and global levels
Strategies
Be a bridge to established charitable organizations:
Bridge-To-Action’s
volunteers meet monthly in facilities provided by various religious
institutions in the greater Ambler area and, through these meetings, determine if there
are ways where BTA volunteers may assist those institutions in their community outreach
projects. The BTA Steering Committee acts as a bridge between these organizations and
Bridge-To-Action’s members to solicit volunteers and monitor outcomes.
Identify and address unmet needs:
Bridge-To-Action volunteers identify unique service opportunities of their own which focus on assisting individuals and communities solve problems where necessary resources are otherwise unavailable. These projects are agreed upon and prioritized by Bridge-To-Action members but staffed by both Bridge-To-Action members and individuals of the at large community. At any time Bridge-To-Action expects to have at most three to five such projects under way that vary in scope, size and duration. For example:
- small (possibly a week or less to complete)
- mid-size (a month or two to complete), and
- large (as much as a year to complete).
Projects can be one-time efforts which address unique issues or recurring activities which respond to needs which tend to repeat on perhaps quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. As projects are completed, new ones are added to the agenda.
Strengths and competencies:
BTA’s unique strength is its network of hundreds of committed volunteers who have expressed interest in community service (local, national or global) but, for a variety of reasons, have not found the appropriate forum. These people are able to maintain close contact through BTA’s extensive email network and website. For this reason, BTA is able to quickly and efficiently reach out for help in addressing a specific need. Members self-select activities whose outcome they feel they can affect the most.
Examples of projects:
- responding to an ad-hoc request by a Habitat for Humanity group to work on a project that requires extra help to complete
- putting out a bulletin to members to respond to the Red Cross’ urgent need for blood and tracking the response
- posting a request for Spanish language books for elementary school children in Costa Rica; and, gathering and delivering those books
- funding for a mission in Kenya