Story of Impact | ourBRIDGE
Helping immigrant and refugee families adjust and thrive
“The only thing he had was my word.”
Sil Ganzo, ourBRIDGE Founder & Executive Director
Game-changing Opportunity
Address the challenge of after-school transportation for ourBRIDGE students and families.
Simply, ourBRIDGE’s visionary programming at start-up was blocked without transportation. Equipping the organization with vans, along with a stipend for maintenance, was an early tipping point for permitting achievement of their mission and sustained performance.
Reemprise’s Role
Funding vans isn’t sexy philanthropy, but it is vital philanthropy. Human-centered impact often requires facilitating getting humans in proximity to one another, especially when the (literal) bridges do not exist.
Making the Difference
The week that ourBRIDGE for Kids received their initial check from Reemprise was the same week they received their official 501c3 status and their federal after-school grant funding. Sil Ganzo’s demonstrated experience and vision combined with her deep community ties meant we could invest with confidence even though there were “no previous 990s, no existing funding… he [Charlie] just said, ‘go try.’”
Measurable Impact
The vans transported 70 students to and from after-school in their first year. Today, ourBRIDGE owns five 15-passenger vans and welcomes 150 kids at the East Charlotte site at Aldersgate and 80 at the Southwest Site at Pinewood Elementary after-school programs. All 230 receive transportation assistance.
Sustained Performance
Ten years after Reemprise provided that initial funding, ourBRIDGE grew to an annual budget of over $2.5 million, serving 230 refugee and immigrant students and their families. Vans were only the beginning. Additional investments supported an impact study that propelled the organization to become fully trauma informed while reinforcing the importance of their culturally-responsive approach. In addition, ourBRIDGE developed intergenerational relationships with Aldersgate residents benefiting both the youth and the retirees.