December 12, 2023 | By Emilie Jacques
Copper Shores Community Health Foundation is excited to announce that Huntington National Bank has awarded a $3,500 community investment grant to Copper Shores Bridges. This grant will go toward supporting the operational costs of the Bridges program.
“Donations like these are critical to run a successful program,” Bridges Program Director Michael Steber said. “We want to eliminate as many barriers as possible so people can attend class.”
One of the main success factors for Bridges is its capacity to eliminate barriers for Investigators attending class. As such, much of the Huntington National Bank grant will help cover the cost of transportation to and from class, as well as free childcare for parents in Getting Ahead and Money Matters during class.
“Without that support some investigators cannot get to class,” said Steber. “And if they have children they may have no one to take care of them while they take classes, so we offer childcare so people can attend.”
There are many other costs that go into running the Bridges program. Dinner is provided every class night for participants and their children, facilitators and volunteers. In addition, investigators are given gas cards to support transportation to class and food cards.
With the graduation of the second cohort of Getting Ahead Investigators and the first cohort of Money Matters investigators this month, the Bridges community grows in numbers. Over a dozen people have completed Getting Ahead, and dozens more have come in to share their knowledge, advice and social capital with investigators.
“I think our community is starting to see the importance of participants joining our program,” said Steber. “We are building a community that works together so that all of us can succeed.”
Copper Country residents can be a part of the Bridges community in a variety of ways, including volunteering time in and out of the classroom, donating money, and hosting workshops for fellow Copper Country community members who are interested in learning more. Find out more about Copper Shores Bridges at coppershores.org/bridges.
