A PHILOSOPHY DEFINES A MOVEMENT. THE BRIDGES CENTER IS A MOVEMENT.
A Bridge is a vessel which facilitates people being able to cross over an obstacle...to get from where you are right now to where you want to go. We are THAT vessel.
We both identify our backgrounds as being the basis of our passion for helping and changing lives.
Being a single parent for a long time, the struggles, the expected outcome, people's views of single parenthood, knowing how to make a way where there seems to be no way to make a way--this is the background that has fueled a passion of helping parents to be the best they can be and being a living example that YES YOU CAN!
Being a child who was in special education classes for 11 of 12 years of schooling, having an anger management problem, being told "you will never amount to anything," being told "you will be dead or in jail by the age of 25," having two people outside of family who believed in you; those who brought you through the odds--this is a true "in your face" view of how to show everyone that THEY ARE WRONG!
We have taken our experiences and tied them into a life long passion to serve and uplift people's lives and turned into the entity known as The Bridges Center.
On any given day you will find Dr. Winfrey telling his story to students and educators across Georgia and seeing a light gleam in the eyes of some as they feel and see hope, and at the end walk away believing in themselves. There is nothing like a living breathing example of people who have overcome the odds. Mrs. Winfrey is the visionary with a natural born sense of HOW to define a goal and create processes to reach a goal. She is creative, eccentric, intuitive, insightful, and diligent, These are traits that can not be taught our learned by reading a book. Dr. Winfrey is passionate, full of depth, strong, steadfast, and eloquent. It is just who he is, not something that can be duplicated.
We both use our passion, our traits, our career goals, and personal goals to build bridges within our agency. We extended our charge to better the world by partnering,connecting,and becoming a part of the lives of those that refer families in need to The Bridges Center, hence becoming "family" with them. By becoming a united group alongside our Stakeholders, in the eyes of the communities that entrust us, we become a place of refuge; Like a "rest stop" for travelers on their way; a place to rejuvenate and experience promise, endless possibilities, and newness.
This not only involves client care, but just as importantly, embracing our staff (OUR BRIDGE BUILDERS). These special people, our staff, or what we call our "Bridges Builders" are the undeniable key to our success! We have worked hard to create an environment that feels like a "family" and nurtures the needs our staff both personally and professionally. Our "family" comes first and should never be compromised.
We also know that the very reason that we exist if to improve life functioning for people and we spend our days and nights committed to outcomes; the evidence that we have CHANGED LIVES!
One of biggest tools used in fostering the changing of lives is innovation:
- Innovation in thinking
- Innovation in operations and processes
- innovation in the use of technology in mental health provision
- Innovation in treatment interventions
- Hiring innovative people!
People have called us trendsetters, we appreciate that, but we consider ourselves to be something else. All of this innovation is necessary to keep up with the changing needs of society and people. it is necessary if you are going to be a BRIDGE BUILDER. So call us trendsetters-great! We simply call ourselves BRIDGE BUILDERS.
