On October 13, 2011, Bridge the Gap partnered with the RHF Fundation to help raise more than $25,000 to support the children's emergency room development project at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson NJ. In May 2011, BTG also partnered with RHF to raise funds for the Maria Ferari Children's Hospital in Westchester, NY.
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BTG is sponsoring a special Thanksgiving meal distribution program and is seeking donations to help fund the cost of $5000.00 for 200 baskets of turkey and food stuffs, as well as personal health items to be distributed to needy families and seniors the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year. 100% of all the money donated to this program will go towards the purchase and distrubution of food by volunteers. This year we will also be taking baskets directly to shut-ins and those unable to travel to the Center to receive a basket. Special thanks to Pastor Charlie Thompson at Freedom Ministries Worldwide for their pledge of a van to our program to allow us to deliver food!
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BTG is pleased to announce the August 15, 2009 grand opening of its new Clothing and Household Goods Distribution Center located adjacent to our food distribution location at 92 North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha, Town of Parsippany, Morris County, NJ. The center will be open Monday through Friday from 11-2 and on Saturdays from 11-1. Members of the public may "shop" for items in the location with a recommended donation of $1.00 per item. BTG will also be working with Realife Church and local government and community agencies to identify specific individuals and families in need who will receive a special ticket for shopping days entitling them to two free bags of clothing items, without charge.
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In June 2009, Bridge the Gap! together with Realife Church announced the opening of a new community center located at 92 North Beverwyck Road in Parsippany, NJ. The location will act as an outreach center and act as the home for the BTG Feed the Hungry free food program. In the Fall BTG hopes to expand the location next door to add a thrift shop for the distribution of free clothing and household items for the needy in Northern NJ. Eventually BTG hopes to open similar community centers in New York and Pennsylvania to expand its grass roots giving program to communities in those states as well.
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BTG has agreed to partner with STOP Child Trafficking Now in its efforts to combat and stop child sex trafficking in the United States.
STOP Child Trafficking Now is a one-of-a-kind campaign that Dr. Laura Lederer, Senior Advisor on child trafficking, calls “historic.” Never before has there been a campaign or event of this magnitude enabling every mother, father, son, daughter and friend to help put an end to the most despicable crime of our time!
STOP Child Trafficking Now targets the source of child trafficking: predators who drive the sex industry everywhere in the world, including in your own local community. SCTNow looks to sponsors and donors to help fund highly qualified teams of operatives who build cases and execute missions that bring trafficking to a halt.
Most other organizations address child trafficking by performing rescue operations. SCTNow greatly support their efforts, but believe for every child rescued another takes his or her place. Not until we stop the predators will we rid the world of trafficking. SCTNow's goal is to put predators behind bars and end the demand.
On September 27, 2009, STOP Child Trafficking Now has organized a walk=a-thon to raise awareness of this problem, right here in our own Country.
Come out and walk through the streets of Manhattan with thousands of others who will make a difference by raising awareness and funds to STOP Child Trafficking Now. The inaugural WALK to Stop Child Trafficking Now in New York City promises to be an event that will surely bring attention towards the fight against this unspeakable crime.
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Northern NJ Food Distribution Program Starts October 25th
BTG is launching a monthly free food distribution program beginning October 25, 2008. Each month BTG, working with local community organizations, will purchase and distribute free food to needy families. BTG is presently in discussions with local businesses to obtain financial commitments to double the monthly food distribution volume throughout 2009. For more information, contact Executive Director Andrew Liput at 973 883 0333.
Free Film on Diversity & Human Understanding
In conjunction with Atticus Films, BTG is offering public schools a free copy of the documentary film, "Good people stood by and did nothing..." for use with 8th-12th Grade Curriculums addressing genocide, the Holocaust, and programs on diversity and discrimination. The hour-long film, narrated by actor Ed Asner, features dramatic eyewitness and survivor interviews involving the Holocaust, Jim Crow South, Rawanda, and other 20th Century events. For more information, or to order a copy of the film (you must be a school administrator or educator) please call or email us.
Johnson Family Bulletin
The Board of Directors has recently approved a donation to help fund the Johnson Family Memorial, established in El Paso, Texas, to assist the Johnson Family whose life was recently effected when they lost their three children in an automobile accident while the children were traveling to meet their father, a returning disabled Iraq War veteran. The surviving parents have little money and the gift will help them bury their children and pay the costs related to the accident, including Mrs. Johnson's medical bills. If you wish to support the Johnson Family Fund directly, you may do so by visiting any Bank of America branch and speaking with a representative about the Johnson Family Memorial Fund.
"The Stoop" Film Education and Fundraising Project
In June 2008, Atticus Films, in conjunction with Bridge the Gap! and the Rutgers Film Co-Op, hosted a world premiere of the short film, "The Stoop" about life in Harlem in 1969. The premier took place at the 2008 New Jersey International Film Festival held at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. The film has also been submitted for consideration to the Sundance Film Festival and several other independent films festivals around the world. Proceeds from all commercial exploitation of the film will benefit Bridge the Gap! as well as the Harlem Children's Zone. Founded in 1970, Harlem Children's Zone, Inc. is a pioneering, non-profit, community-based organization that works to enhance the quality of life for children and families in some of New York City's most devastated neighborhoods. For more information about the premiere, stay tuned to this website.
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On June 23, 2007, Bridge the Gap! is sponsoring a Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction to benefit the Lance Esbin Cancer Fund. Lance Esbin was recently diagnosed with inoperable Cancer and his family and friends have created the fund to provide for Lance's wife and two small children. Unfortunately Lance has no life insurance or health insurance coverage. The event is scheduled to take place in Mountain Lakes, NJ at the Villa Restuarant. For more information, or to donate or purchase tickets at $50 pp, please call 973-885-4665. UPDATE: BTG helped raise almost $40,000 for the direct benefit of Lance Esbin and his Family. A big THANK YOU! to all who attended and contributed. The money will be used to acquire a car for the family and pay health and medical expenses, with the remaining balance invested for Lance's two small children. Donations are still being accepted; please call 973 885 4665. 100% of the money donated will go to the Esbin Family.
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Bridge the Gap! is a proud supporter and donor to the BREAKING BARRIERS: 60 YEARS SINCE JACKIE ROBINSON BROKE THE BASEBALL COLOR BARRIER, a program sponsored by the Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity and Human Understanding on Long Island. A special day long event will be held on March 27, 2007 at Suffolk County Community College and will include an exhibit, a film presentation, and speakers, including HOF baseball great Monte Irvin and Sports Writer Steve Jacobsen. Admission is $5.00 and CHDHU encourages school teachers and adminstrators to call 631 451 4700 to reserve space for your school classes.
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Giving News
In November 2008, following a tradition started in 2006, the Board of Trustees has agreed once again to make a donation to World Vision to help children internationally. Although Bridge the Gap!'s mission statement is focused on children and families in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area, starting in 2006 we decided to make one gift annually to help children around the world in need.
In 2006, Bridge the Gap! made a donation to support children in need in a small village in Africa, affording them food and school supplies that were badly needed for the year.
In 2007 we made a donation to help educate a girl in China. In many parts of China females are not accorded the respect and honor they deserve and are denied the opportunity for schooling. Through our donation to World Vision, we paid for the enrollment of one young girl for a year of school, offering her the opportunity to learn reading and other valuable skills to build her self esteem and invest in a sucessful future for her.
This year, in 2008, we have helped fund immunizations of children in Africa, malaria prevention and control efforts in Africa, and we also paid to send two children orphaned by AIDs to school in developing nations.
If you are interested in learning how you can assist children globally, visit the World Vision website at www.WorldVisionGifts.org.
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