Stories from The Bridge

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Ben's Story

Ben is an 8-year-old who lives in Palatine with his mom, dad and brother, Michael. He came to The Bridge after being hit by a car while riding his bike. After the accident Ben’s demeanor changed. His parents no longer saw him laughing or making jokes and he stopped talking to them about his feelings.

Camp Old Navy

How many times have you asked yourself, “What do these kids know about the real world?” If this is true for children with every opportunity, the latest iPod, and all the perks of a middle-class household, imagine how it must be for those whose opportunities seem limited, whose view of themselves and their families is more like a melodrama and less like a situation comedy. Susan, who participated in The Bridge mentoring program, wanted to know, and with a little help from The Bridge and Old Navy, she was able to find out.

Helping Our Most Important Asset When They Need It Most

John suffered physical and emotional abuse first from his father and later from his foster parents. After being placed in the care of Jane, a family friend, it became clear that Jane's own mental health issues prevented her from adequately caring for John.

When Jane expressed a desire to see John reunited with his own father, it became necessary for the court system to mandate counseling for both Jane and John. This was done in order to help her better manage John's disruptive behaviors as well as to understand that placing John with his father was clearly an unsafe situation.

John's Story

These days everyone knows that life is hard, that it can beat you down, but for John, that abuse was emotional, physical, and continuous, and John was only 8-years old. No one was there to protect or defend him. No one was on his side.

John was abused by his father, and when at last he was rescued and placed in foster care at age 6, the abuse continued. It must have seemed to John that the world was a brutal place, and love was just a sucker bet. As an 8 year old, the state finally removed him from that foster home, and placed him with Wendy, a family friend who at last brought a little kindness into John’s life.

Luke's Story

It’s not easy being a teenage parent, and when you’re doing it alone, it can be exhausting. Tammy was overwhelmed, both physically and emotionally, and although she tried her best, she always felt inadequate. So it didn’t help when she fell asleep on the couch while her 3-year old son Luke was playing in the living room, managed to pop open the front door and make his way outside. Frantically, she searched the yard and nearby streets to no avail. When the police car drove up with her son, she was thrilled, but unprepared for the events that would follow.