Photo by: Yuan Yang

The local outreach, the Bridge Project, strives to provide educational opportunities for children living in public housing in Denver. It began as the brainchild of graduate students in the Sociology Department at DU who started the first center in Denver’s North Lincoln Park public housing development.

Since then, the Bridge has continued to be a part of the Graduate School of Social Work and has relied on more than 500 volunteers to help tutor and mentor students ages 3-18 in the Denver area. The students come from Denver’s four public housing districts and are often approximately two years behind in reading.

The students come primarily from non-english speaking families with parents who are unable to help their children do their homework.

Volunteers have the opportunity to tutor an hour a week to help students catch up on their reading, math and science. Additionally they can become mentors to students who rarely have the opportunity to leave the public housing districts.

“It’s exciting for the children who come from primarily single-mother homes to have the opportunity to have a relationship with someone outside of their family who cares about them.” said Lynn Wilky the development director. “Just walking around the mall is a big deal.” 

The program also supports students after they graduate by helping them apply for scholarships and supporting them throughout their college career by covering additional expenses.    

Currently, the Bridge Project supports 45 students in college in the Denver metro area covering the expenses of necessities from books to health insurance.

“The program is invaluable because we support children who are attending some of the worst schools in the area,” said Wilky.

“We assist children whose parents don’t have the resources needed to help students be successful and stay in school.”