Bridge Builders for Kids recognizes the need to partner and collaborate with other organizations as it allows each organization to focus precisely on what they do best. The result of these partnerships and collaborations is effective, efficient, comprehensive support to children of prisoners and their families. The organizations Bridge Builders for Kids is currently partnering or collaborating with are:
- Higher Standards
- Prison Fellowship Ministries
- Church Partners
- Parenting With Purpose
- The Salvation Army - Corrections Division
Catholic Charities' Common Good RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) program recruits volunteer mentors that are 55 and older for the Coach What Counts initiative. Coach What Counts is a coalition of mentoring organizations in southeastern Minnesota serving children who have a parent in prison. The coalition is made up of Catholic Charities (Common Good RSVP), Bridge Builders for Kids, Y Mentors, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Girl Scouts of Cannon Valley.
E-giving Systems is a ministry-support effort formed to help strengthen and expand "first fruits" funding for Christ-centered para-church and church ministries using modern recurring payment tools/web pathways in alignment with scriptural giving guidelines. They help us establish permanent electronic giving partnerships by providing permanent coaching, appeals, forms, support and online donation tools in Biblical context free of charge. They also connect our ministry to secure processing at special ministry rates.
Higher Standards
Higher Standards is a credit card processing company that is passionate about what Bridge Builders for Kids does. They donate 100 percent of the profits they recieve from businesses that are referred by Bridge Builders for Kids. They match the rate a business is already paying for credit card processing services so they can help children of prisoners and it costs the business nothing! Learn more on how to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
Prison Fellowship Ministries
Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries is the largest prison ministry in the world. Bridge Builders partners with Prison Fellowship and churches that participate in their Angel Tree program. Angel Tree is a program in which incarcerated parents sign up their kids to receive gifts for Christmas. The children's names are distributed to local churches who then purchase and deliver the gifts in the name of a parent. Angel Tree is not only a way to identify children of prisoners, but is also a great way to build a relationship with the family and share the mentoring opportunites available to the children.
Life Coaches for Kids
Life Coaches for Kids® is a mentor-equipping organization that partners with churches and other para-church organizations to provide training and support to these organizations and their mentors. They provide advanced Life Coach training for our mentors as well as various activities for matches to attend together. Life Coaches also refers to us potential mentors who are interested in mentoring children of prisoners.
Life Coaches for Kids® is a mentor-equipping organization that partners with churches and other para-church organizations to provide training and support to these organizations and their mentors. They provide advanced Life Coach training for our mentors as well as various activities for matches to attend together. Life Coaches also refers to us potential mentors who are interested in mentoring children of prisoners.
The Lift
The Lift is a youth center on the east side of Saint Paul. They have generously invited Bridge Builders for Kids mentors to on-going training sessions which explore how to understand and support youth growing up in generational poverty.
Church Partners
We work closely with a number of churches in the Twin Cities and the Rochester areas. These churches partner with us in different ways whether it is recruiting mentors for children of prisoners, hosting relationship building activities, sending volunteers to Coyote Ridge, providing meeting places or providing financial support. It is the Church that actually provides the direct support to the children and families we serve. Bridge Builders for Kids makes the connections happen and provides support to those relationships. Churches we partner with in various ways are:
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Bethany United Methodist - Rochester
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Calvary Evangelical Free Church - Rochester
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Church of Christ - Plainview
- Community of Hope - Rosemount
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Community Presbyterian - Plainview
- Evangel United Methodist - Rochester
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Grace Lutheran - Rochester
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Gloria Dei Lutheran - Rochester
- The River Church - Bloomington
- Real Believers Fellowship - North Minneapolis
- Rochester Assembly of God - Rochester
- Woodale Church - Eden Prairie
- Woodland Hills - St. Paul
If you would like to get your church involved please contact us.
Bridge Builders for Kids collaborates with the Minnesota Department of Corrections to identify children of prisoners that may be eligible and interested in having a mentor. Bridge Builders staff coordinate with the DOC volunteer coordinator to set up presentations within the prisons. Inmates fill out a form authorizing Bridge Builders to contact the caregiver of their kids about mentors available for the children. We are also collaborating with the following groups led by the inmates themselves:
- African American Men About Change (Faribault)
- Fathers Bridging the Gap (Moose Lake)
As part of our partnership with the Timberwolves/Lynx, they are helping promote our program by hosting events, providing discount tickets to the children and their mentors and sending players to both fundraising and program events to raise support, awareness, and also provide speakers to the children in our program at special events.
Parenting With Purpose
Parenting With Purpose is an organization that offers a wide range of support to incarcerated parents and their familiies including mentoring children of prisoners. Bridge Builders for Kids and Parenting With Purpose partner together in training mentors for children of prisoners as well as sharing resources.
Bridge Builders for Kids has partnered with the Corrections Division to provide activities for mentors, prospective mentors and families of the incarcerated. The Salvation Army Corrections Division offers the following to the children of prisoners and their families:
- LIFE Camp - Corrections takes the lead on this week-long summer LIFE (Love Is For Everyone) camp designed specifically for children of prisoners. Kids take part in numerous activities such as archery, crafts, swimming, boating, fishing, ping pong, board games, campfires, etc. Prospective mentors can attend as adult volunteers.
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LIFE Banquet - Corrections takes the lead on this beautiful meal for families of the incarcerated. The families come to a meal at one of The Salvation Army community centers and eat together with other families and volunteers. It's another way to spend time getting to know the families.
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Mentoring for the Incarcerated Parent - Corrections is prepared to train volunteers interested in mentoring the incarcerated parent inside the prison. While this piece has not yet been launched, it stands poised to do so.
Tix for Tots is a network that allows unused seats for sporting events or cultural events be donated to mentoring organizations and distributed, so that kids get a chance to escape, or learn, or develop a passion. Bridge Builders mentors have enjoyed plays, Wild hockey games, Twins baseball games and many more events that kids would otherwise not have had the chance to experience.
Young Fishers is able to take small groups of mentors and kids on fishing outings, teaching them how to catch, clean and cook fish. Young Fishers provides all fishing poles, bait and tackle.