Service Learning

Executive director Kevin Mestrich announced that Bridges to Community will be opening up a new volunteer operation in the Dominican Republic in the region bordering Haiti next year. The first new country expansion in almost 20 years came after the board of directors reaffirmed in 2010 that Bridges to Community is an international organization whose mission is to serve where are services are most needed. The Dominican Republic/ Haitian border area was selected after eight months of study and research by the board’s appointed New Country Task Force. read more

I learned so much from the (Bridges) experience, I don't know where to begin. In the classic sense of learning, I learned about Nicaragua--it's history, music, culture...The most significant realization of cultural difference for me came when  E and I were curious about how people with so much compassion and love for one another could treat starving animals with such neglect. Jacob (Bridges' international volunteer coordinator) told us about a Venezuelan song called "Casas de Carton" (Cardboard Houses) with a verse about, "How happy, the dogs live, in the rich exploiter's home. You won't believe this, but there are schools for dogs and they educate them, so they don't tear the newspaper." Basically explaining that people in poorer countries don't understand places like the USA, where dogs go to school and get surgery, when they can't even afford those things for their children. Suddenly I completely understood. read more

The Nicaragua staff are up to date on their first aid preparation. Last week, Luis Acevedo of Puerto Rico, a specialist in risk management and a certified wilderness and remote first aid instructor from Aire Libre conducted 3 days of on-site training in Spanish. Using our newly outfitted first aid kits, the course covered the gamut of emergency response procedures for potential injuries that might occur on a Bridges' trip. To see more photos from the training session, check Bridges to Community's Facebook page.

This is the question that the staff in Nindiri has recently been asking not only the North American volunteer groups; but also members from the community of Papayal and Guanacastillo, community leaders from Papayal and the crew of masons from Nindiri.

This past February, Temple Shaaray Tefila brought 47 teens to Nicaragua to volunteer with Bridges for their joint annual inter-faith program with the Bedford Presbyterian Church. Rabbi Jason Nevarez, Associate Rabbi, and Brad Zicholtz, Director of the Temple’s Youth Program (and also a Bridges Board member), have been coordinating these service trips with the Bedford Church for the past seven years. It all started at the urging of Dr. Gary Cohn who had been down in Nicaragua with Bridges previously and felt this would be an import asset to the Temple's Youth program. read more

April 6, 2010-Sent to Bridges by the mother of a high school student volunteer

My son, who began to clam up as soon as puberty hit, has talked more about this trip to Nicaragua in March than any other high school experience.  He, too, is talking about doing it again, and is re-searching his college acceptances to see which might have a similar program. read more

When Rabobank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program chose to work with Bridges to sponsor a week building homes in Nicaragua, Karen Basu and Jennifer Carbone, both employees of Rabobank in New York City, became the official organizers of the trip.  The two women, who were friends prior to the trip, were the life blood of this service week.  They raised money, recruited and prepared volunteers as well as secured financial support through Rabobank’s CSR program. read more