February 20, 2025 | By Emilie Jacques
"It has been an amazing journey to say the least. As I prepare for retirement, I must say it has been an honor to be a part of Copper Shores’ mission to support community health through addressing generational poverty. Initiating the Bridges Out of Poverty program has been extremely rewarding. Rewarding in the sense that I learned that as a community all we really need to do to help our fellow citizens is provide a little hope and education, to understand that we all come from different walks of life and sometimes all people need is a hand up! The Bridges program has done that and will do so for years to come.
What makes the program so special is that it provides people struggling in generational poverty the tools and social capital to make it possible to break the cycle of poverty. As a program we do everything in our power to eliminate barriers so that people can come to class and spend time reflecting on their lives and developing goals for their future. We call it developing a Future Story. Truthfully the class can help all of us, regardless of our socio-economic status. The Getting Ahead curriculum is designed to help people learn about choices that can help develop a more stable life.
Over the past three years I have met amazing, courageous people that are determined to live a better life, not only for themselves but for their children. I have watched people develop amazing Future Stories, right in front of my eyes. The program has proven itself and I look forward to seeing what the future brings under new leadership. Rich Simpson will be taking over the reins and I have no doubt that he will not miss a beat in providing a program that helps meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community.
Rich brings with him a wealth of knowledge and history of working in the area of service to others; everything from working with struggling youth, to mental health and most recently working for Copper Shores Meals on Wheels, feeding seniors. His heart and passion for people make him the perfect fit. Good luck Rich! Enjoy the ride and always remember: Poverty is everyone’s problem - It does not discriminate and we as a community are only as strong as our most vulnerable. Thank you to Copper shores for bringing this program to our community. I am excited to see what Bridges’ future story will be! Best wishes."
- Michael Steber, outgoing Copper Shores Bridges program Director
Thank you, Michael, for you kindness, hard work and dedication to serving others. You will be missed.
