BRIDGES Impact Report 2023-2025

COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP ACROSS GENERATIONS

2023 –25 IMPAC T RE PORT

MISSION

BRIDGES unites and inspires diverse young people to become confident and courageous leaders committed to community transformation.

When I joined BRIDGES USA as President and CEO in late 2024, I knew I was stepping into an organization with a powerful legacy. For decades, BRIDGES has been a cornerstone of youth leadership in Memphis and Shelby County. We’re creating spaces where young people connect across lines of difference, develop leadership skills, and challenge the systems that shape their lives.

It wasn’t until I sat in listening circles with our youth, hearing their bold and unfiltered visions for this city, that I fully understood how urgently Memphis needs what BRIDGES offers.

Throughout my career in education and nonprofit leadership, I’ve seen how often systems underestimate the brilliance and capacity of young people, especially those from communities historically excluded from power. But I’ve also seen what’s possible when we invest in their leadership. At BRIDGES, we don’t just give young people a seat at the table. We help them build new ones.

This year’s Impact Report highlights that transformative power. From seventh and eighth graders leading environmental justice projects to high school students advocating for education equity, our youth are not waiting for the future; they are shaping it now. I’ve even watched my own son find his voice through our Bridge Builders programs, becoming more grounded in his role as a changemaker.

Sam O'Bryant PRESIDENT & CEO, BRIDGES USA

Memphis is rich in culture, creativity, and community strength, but we also face deep and persistent inequities.

Our youth are meeting those challenges

head-on with courage, compassion, and conviction. And BRIDGES is here to ensure they have the support, mentorship, and resources to keep leading the way.

As we look ahead, my vision for BRIDGES is rooted in shared leadership between youth and adults, the celebration of our incredible alumni, expanding access by meeting youth where they are, and strengthening our career-readiness pathways to prepare them not just for jobs, but for purpose-driven lives. These commitments will guide us as we continue to invest in the next generation of leaders who are already making a difference in our city.

The truth is simple: Memphis’ young people are ready. Ready to lead. Ready to serve.

Ready to transform our city. Our role as adults, as institutions, and as a community is to partner with them on that journey.

Thank you for being part of this work. Your support makes every success in these pages possible. Together, we’re not just investing in youth. We’re investing in the future of Memphis.

With gratitude,

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OUT OF 5

6,321

YOUTH AT BRIDGES BELIEVE THEY HAVE A VOICE IN THE DECISIONS MADE IN THEIR TOWN OR CITY.

PEOPLE SERVED IN BOTH FISCAL YEARS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD

Melanie Burroughs-Cole

Kevin Fienup

Pooja Shah

Jared Boyd

Kyle Hatler

Danish Siddiqui

Nicole Cody

Caroline May

RS LEWIS AND SONS FUNERAL HOME WYXR RADIO

INTERNATIONAL PAPER BOARD CHAIR

Frankie Dakin

CITY OF MILLINGTON

Erica Evans

JUVENILE COURT OF MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY

DOBBS MANAGEMENT SERVICES, LLC BANK OF AMERICA FEDEX

Geoffrey Morris BUTLER SNOW LLP

Dana Pointer

PRESERVER PARTNERS

Ollie Rencher

GRACE-ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL

Shanaya Pokharna

Taliyah Irving

Christian Love

Jordan Maclin

HILTON WORLDWIDE

Sierra Koont

Advait Mahale

Edward Stephens

Carson Alexander

COMMUNITY MEMBER

STATE OF TENNESSEE

Kimmie McNeil Vaulx BAPTIST MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE CORPORATION VICE CHAIR

YAB CHAIR

Harper Behnke Ethan Zhao YAB CHAIR

COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE CHAIR

Garyn Richardson

PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIR

Brayley Henry

RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR

Russ Wiggington

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

Amy Wright

MACRO SOLUTIONS

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204

PEOPLE TRAINED

BY THE YAC IN BOTH FISCAL YEARS

ELEVATING LEADERSHIP IN MEMPHIS

JASMINE BERNARD is a Youth Action Center (YAC) Social

including founding a local environmental

Change Fellow, an InterCORE Youth

justice coalition. Nationally, she’s

Member, and a junior at University

advanced youth-adult equity by

High School. A passionate advocate

collaborating with major nonprofits,

for social justice, she has led multiple

facilitating trainings, and representing

protests across Memphis, championing

youth voices before community leaders

equity, environmental justice, and systemic change.

Through her leadership and activism,

Jasmine helped launch the

Jasmine continues to champion justice,

YAC Social Change Fellowship,

equity, and empowerment for young

co-developing its curriculum and

people across Memphis and beyond.

leading youth-led campaigns,

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and government officials.

92

ORGANIZATIONS & SCHOOLS SERVED

BY TEAM BRIDGES IN THE GREATER MEMPHIS AREA OVER THE LAST TWO FISCAL YEARS.

BRIDGES Youth Action Center

Team BRIDGES

own lived experiences and centers them in

conflict resolution, and professional growth.

recognizes young people as the experts of their

intergenerationally designing and implementing solutions that strengthen our communities. For partners seeking to enhance youth engagement strategies or build intergenerational capacity, the BRIDGES Youth Action Center provides three tiers of engagement: workshops and trainings, customized capacity-building projects, and youth council development.

is the Mid-South’s premier team-building program. This program designs and facilitates customized experiences that strengthen communication, collaboration,

From energizing icebreakers to high ropes challenges and our signature climbing wall, Team BRIDGES helps groups work better together while having fun along the way. With extensive experience serving nonprofits, corporations, schools, colleges, and faith-based organizations, our team knows how to bring people together to achieve shared success. We’re proud to have worked with public, charter, private, and homeschools, and organizations such as FedEx, Service Master, and Leadership Memphis.

Any organization or school can build a stronger team with BRIDGES.

CHRISTIAN LOVE

is a BRIDGES Youth Action Center (YAC) fellow

Christian’s work focuses on removing

and a junior at Lausanne Collegiate School.

barriers and creating a more level

He was honored as the 2025 Keeper of the

playing field so that every student,

Dream Award recipient by the National Civil

regardless of their school,

Rights Museum. As the founder of Opportunity

neighborhood, or network,

Bridge 901 (OB901), a youth-led digital platform,

can reach their full potential.

Christian helps connect Memphis students to leadership, enrichment, and college-prep opportunities. Through OB901’s Opportunity Ambassador Program, he equips students across Shelby County to share resources and expand access to opportunities for all.

Inspired by President Barack Obama, he hopes to pursue a career in politics —aiming one day for the presidency.

(Vote C. Love 2042!)

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BREAKING BARRIERS Bridge Builders unites students from across

Memphis to develop leadership, celebrate diversity, and engage in community action through experiential, service-centered programming. Through skill building, meaningful relationships, and plenty of fun, we help youth strengthen their abilities and the confidence to use them to transform their lives and positively impact their communities. We offer both yearlong programming, beginning with a weeklong summer conference, and flexible external programming delivered through schools, nonprofits, and other youth-serving partners via tailored single-session or multi-session experiences.

40 Bridge builders workshops were facilitated last fiscal year.

Year-round, we worked with 49 community partners, including A Step Ahead Foundation, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cloud 901, Craigmont High School, PRIZM Connect, Stax Music Academy, Hutchison Academy, and more.

17,641 35+ YEARS

YOUTH SERVED

BY BRIDGE BUILDERS

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FRANKIE DAKIN

SHELBY COUNTY AREAS SERVED BY BRIDGES DURING THE SUMMER CONFERENCE (LAST FISCAL YEAR)

Millington, Tennessee,

BRIDGES is proud to have served hundreds of youth across Shelby County last fiscal year.

Our goal is to reach even more young people. With your support, we can expand our programs and empower youth to grow as confident, compassionate leaders who will shape our community’s future.

is the City Manager of

and a lifelong resident dedicated to public service. He’s also a proud BRIDGES alumnus. Elected at age 20 as the youngest alderman in Millington’s history, he served two terms from 2012 to 2019 before spending nearly six years in Shelby County Government, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Lee Harris. With a strong track record in coalitionbuilding, policy implementation, and regional collaboration, Dakin returns to his hometown focused on guiding Millington’s growth, strengthening community partnerships, and ensuring residents benefit from the opportunities emerging across the region.

ERICA EVANS is a native Memphian and accomplished public servant currently serving as the Chief Judicial Officer for the Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County. She is also a proud BRIDGES alumna. A graduate of St. Mary’s Episcopal School, the University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt Law

< 25 students

<50 students

PER ZIP CODE

PER ZIP CODE

<75 students PER ZIP CODE

86% 90% LEADERSHIP

DIVERSITY APPRECIATION

GROWTH RATES Bridge Builders participants with household incomes between $50,000 and $69,999 report the highest rates of growth in both leadership (86%) and diversity appreciation (90%), as of fiscal year 2024.

School, she has earned numerous honors, including membership in the Sphinx and Onyx Honor Societies, the David R. Goddard Ivy Day Award, and the Black Alumni Society Student Leadership Award.

Evans began her legal career clerking for the Honorable John T. Fowlkes, Jr., and later served as a Pro Se Law Clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Before assuming her current role, she worked as Associate General Counsel for Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

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SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE LEADING CHANGE TODAY. BRIDGES, USA 477 N. Fifth St. Memphis, TN 38105 info@bridgesusa.org • (901) 452-5600 bridgesusa

Bridges, USA

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