RECENT NEWS
RECENT NEWS
Bridges Spring 2023 Update
May 11, 2023
An Email to the Dallas Bridges Director from a Grateful Mom in Dallas
In November 2022, Kevin had his five-year anniversary at the Hyatt. I’ve been meaning to email you about this milestone for months now.
Here is a photo his manager took of him on that day with his certificate. He also got a nifty catalog and got to pick out a five-year anniversary gift. He opted for a pair of wireless earbuds. 🙂
Thanks for all the work you do to help young adults like Kevin find employment. He has had a wonderful five years at the Hyatt!!
Rebecca C.
About Bridges Participants when they enroll in our program
Educational status
77% are still in high school.
Age
90% are between the ages of 16 and 20.
Of those, 64% are 17 or 18.
Heard about us how?
85% heard about Bridges from a teacher or from a Bridges representative who visited their school.
Bridges Youth Spotlights
Ryan Tate of Washington, D.C.
Congratulations to Ryan Tate of Washington, D.C. for reaching one year of employment as a Fulfillment Associate at Home Depot. Ryan is a graduate of Ballou STAY Opportunity Academy.
Aisha Buford of Chicago
Chicago Bridges alumna Aisha Buford-Morrison got early work experience as a Sales Associate with Dylan’s Candy Bar. She performed so well that Bridges helped her progress into a role with Accenture as a Location Services Associate, a position she held for more than four years.
Since August 2021, Aisha has worked as a Claims Assistant with the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, where she is a member of the union with full benefits, including a pension.
Teacher Appreciation Week
From May 8-12, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week and recognize the professional educators who each year help Bridges recruit and enroll students from hundreds of high schools.
Teachers are instrumental to the work we do in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Oakland, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. Since 1990, they’ve helped connect 26,000 young adults to Bridges from School to Work.
Associate Promotions
Mirna Velic
Congratulations to Mirna Velic on her recent promotion to Director for our Boston Bridges office. Mirna, who speaks fluent Spanish, began her Bridges career in 2015 working as an Employer Representative in Chicago. She later advanced into a Senior Employer Representative role.
In addition to earning her bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University, Mirna completed a grant writing certificate and master’s degree in Writing and Publishing at DePaul University.
Loretta Bonhomme
We are also pleased to announce that Loretta Bonhomme, Assistant Accounting Manager, has been promoted to the position of Controller for Bridges from School to Work. Before Loretta joined Bridges in 2010 as a Staff Accountant, she worked in accounting roles with Marriott Global Finance, with Goodwill Headquarters, and with Ventraq Corporation.
Loretta earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she also completed graduate-level courses in accounting and finance.
Mirna Velic
Director, Boston Bridges
Bridges’ Annual Gala
We will hold our annual gala the evening of Monday, June 26, 2023 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC. Richard Lui, renowned MSNBC/NBC News Anchor and journalist, will be returning to host the program. He will be joined by the inspiring Anthony Robles, an NCAA Champion, wrestling coach, commentator, and motivational speaker.
For more information, please contact the Gala Team at (202) 719-8057 or [email protected].
Richard Marriott addressing the annual Bridges Gala
Employer Survey
If you are an employer who has hired one or more Bridges participants, please take our short survey.