
Bridges & Balm was formed to meet the needs of both former workers who are in financially vulnerable conditions as well as survivors of sexual abuse who need support with funding the cost of therapy. There is a significant population of people in both groups with unmet basic needs, and Bridges & Balm is our attempt to establish a transparent and scalable entity to meet the needs of these at-risk populations.
Our first few month’s outreach and funding efforts have been ramping up quickly. The level of sincere thankfulness from those who have already received assistance has been so heartwarming to all of us and in turn makes us thankful for all of you who have donated. Your generosity is much appreciated and is making a difference. Thank you!
As we get the word out about our mission and goals, we are experiencing more assistance needs than we are able to fund. Donations are ramping up, but Bridges and Balm has only raised enough money to date to cover our current actively supported recipients’ needs through the next quarter. If you are supportive of either of Bridges and Balm’s charter, please consider making tax-deductible donations on our Donate page.
Active Financial Support:
1 Resting Worker (Indefinite support, too elderly to seek employment)
4 Transitioning Workers (Transitional support, including meeting immediate needs and assisting the recipient on their journey to becoming self-sufficient where possible)
2 Survivors (Therapy and immediate living needs)
Approved for Assistance - Awaiting Funding
1 Survivor (therapy)
2 Transitioning Workers (living expenses & specific expense items)
Actively evaluating for support
2 Resting workers
5 Transitioning workers
Former Worker Monitoring
Total former workers in the monitoring pipeline: 63
Since former workers are often reluctant to ask for help, we reach out to them through friends or advocates to review their living situations. Currently we are monitoring a list of over 60 former workers to assess their living conditions and status. By using the budget worksheet available on the Bridges & Balm website, former workers can assess their financial health and we can assist with any monthly deficit they may have. If we identify an unmet need and the worker is not requesting assistance, we may proactively send a “white envelope check” to see if the worker will accept financial help via the more traditional method.
Survivor Fund Update
For our survivor fund, Bridges and Balm directly or indirectly assists with therapy costs for survivors who have had professional assistance with identifying appropriate therapeutic support for their specific needs.
We are actively establishing relationships with other established charities who have the operational capacity to assist in identifying appropriate therapy needs, a critical function to providing effective support for survivors.
For more detailed information, please see the Funds Overview & Activity page. And as always, please spread the word about Bridges & Balm to friends and family and if you are able, please consider donating to either or both funds.
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