Our Mission
BRIDGES build a community of leaders to advance racial, economic, educational and environmental justice.
BRIDGES relies on donations from the community to operate its programs that serve more than 15,000 people each year in the Memphis and Shelby County region.
Our Vision
BRIDGES helps youth and adults find their voice, experience their power and build positive relationships in order to create strong lives and extraordinary communities.
Our History
The organization known today as BRIDGES has been serving the Memphis area for more than eight decades. Learn more about the history of BRIDGES.
History of BRIDGES
In 1922, women from Calvary Episcopal Church and St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral established the Church Mission of Help, based on an outreach mission begun at Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City in 1913. The focus was on "wayward and delinquent women and girls over 16 who found themselves in difficulty." The program was run by volunteers until 1924 when the first staff person was hired, Miss Theresa de Birmingham, as Executive Secretary. Read more–