“I believe that children are our future”
– George Benson/Whitney Houston

We are positive that most of you have heard this song/statement at least once in your lifetime. You have probably also heard that we need to invest in our future to ensure that they are successful! We, at Bridging the Gap Urban Ministries (BTGUM), back that statement 100 percent! While we don’t believe that we can deliver success on a silver platter, we make sure that we are able to provide at least a few of the tools people will need in order to be successful in their daily lives. From there it is up to the individual to go after the prize! This season, we wanted to take some time to focus on the kids, our future, as they prepare to go back to school.

This back-to-school drive focused on gathering school supplies that could be used among many different age groups, such as notebooks and pencils. We understand how expensive it can be for parents when buying school supplies for multiple children, and we wanted to help lift a burden from parents struggling to make ends meet. With the help of people throughout the community, we were able to donate a multitude of items to the Jubilee Family Development Center in Lynchburg, Virginia, an established community resource that has continued to positively impact the youth in the community.

Our Back-to-School Drive brought in the following school supplies:

• – Notebooks
• – Pencils
• – Paper
• – Folders
• – Index Cards
• – Colored Pencils

We are very thankful for all of those who participated and the amount of school supplies we were able to get this year! We want to let each child starting school know that we are praying for their success this year! We want each child to know that they are important and are made in the image of God. You’ve got this! Keep your head up, keep pushing, and know that you are made for so much more!