CES Cares Volunteers with The Bridge During North Texas Giving Day
Thanksgiving may be the most well-known celebration of gratitude and giving back, but the North Texas Giving Day event may come in at a close second. No one understands this more than CES Cares and The Bridge, a recovery center for homeless people to get back on their feet.
What is North Texas Giving Day?
“North Texas Giving Day is one of the biggest single days of giving online in the country,” said Cynthia Thompson, the development manager of The Bridge.
Run by the Communities Foundation of Texas, North Texas Giving Day provides a digital platform for thousands of charities like The Bridge to hold fundraisers and gain awareness for their causes.
According to the Communities Foundation of Texas, last year, North Texas Giving Day raised nearly $60 million from 106,000 supporters, which helped around 3,200 charities.
Every year in September, charities and non-profit organizations come together to be a part of North Texas Giving Day. As one of the participants, representatives for The Bridge, along with CES Cares, had their own goal in mind to achieve.
“Our goal for this year was for members of our Board of Directors, which includes CES executives, to match up to $50,000 donated. If we raised $50,000, donors would know that that their investment in The Bridge would be doubled!” said Dr. David Woody, CEO of The Bridge.
The Birth of The Bridge
The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center came to be through the leadership of former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. He championed establishing a facility and sustaining resources to address the problem of homelessness in Dallas.
“We call ourselves The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center. We’re not simply a homeless shelter. Our mission is to empower adults experiencing homelessness in Dallas with the tools to recovery as they move into sustainable housing,” explained Dr. Woody.
With day shelter programs for mental health and substance use recovery, physical health services, a kennel for dogs, job placement support, acquiring sustainable housing, and serving three hot meals a day, The Bridge offers so much in one location than many homeless shelters.
“We also offer night shelter and three hot meals a day for folks who otherwise might be sleeping on concrete. Most shelters don’t have the resources to offer day shelter programming. The Bridge is unique here in Dallas for that reason,” said Dr. Woody.
CES Cares Joins North Texas Giving Day
The Bridge has partnered with many businesses and organizations to serve the homeless in the North Texas community, including City Electric Supply under its CES Cares program. Every month, CES employees go to The Bridge to help serve lunch and spend time with the homeless guests.
“We have some really good, deep-seated relationships. Obviously, CES Cares counts as one of them,” Cynthia Thompson explained.
“A lot of businesses are interested in trying to understand homelessness in Dallas at this time. Through the opportunity to come to the campus once a month and engage in feeding our guests, CES employees actively commit to understanding what’s going on with homelessness through immersing themselves in what homeless recovery can be,” said Dr. Woody.
This has made a profound impact on CES Cares volunteers, and it has had an incredible impact on The Bridge. After all, there are more ways to donate besides making donations. CES Cares volunteers across the nation are proud to volunteer their time, an essential resource for charities and non-profit organizations.
The Cause Behind Giving
For the many programs The Bridge offers to those in need, North Texas Giving Day offers donors an opportunity to make an investment in those programs and services.
“The money raised supports many needs, including Guest basic needs, and program and services operational support. Plus, it helps us get a hold of things needed for emergencies, building maintenance, and other growth opportunities. We are hoping, with help from City Electric Supply, that we will be able to raise money,” Cynthia Thompson explained.
And they did just that. During North Texas Giving Day, The Bridge received $145,202 from 254 donations. Nearly tripling their $50,000 goal and more than enough to receive their donation match.
Thanks to the long-time partnership between The Bridge and CES Cares, there are always more good things to come.
“Serving meals affects our Guests in a tangible way. And how CES invests its resources through serving in the community attracts more people to them. We appreciate that reciprocity,” explained Dr. Woody.
Proud to support The Bridge through volunteering and donations, CES Cares can’t wait to continue joining their incredible mission as they help the homeless in the Dallas community.