Building Refugee Independence and Delivering Guidance for Educational Success

BRIDGES is designed for newly resettled refugee children who have yet to enter a classroom in the United States. We provide a safe and welcoming environment for students to prepare for their K-12 education and to relieve anxiety before entering a new classroom.

The BRIDGES program exposes students to topics they will encounter in their new American school and is designed to cover themes that span across subject and content areas, including:

• Classroom expectations

• Friends

• Food

• Our body

• Transportation

• Our world

• Jobs

• Literacy

• English

During the program, students engage with and experience new surroundings by participating in field trips to local museums, landmarks, and activity centers. Additionally, volunteers - many of whom are peers or slightly older students from local schools and colleges - provide a welcoming presence and new connections. We aim for each participating student to be prepared and equipped to start school on the right foot and succeed in their educational journey!

On completion of the BRIDGES program, each student is given a Sam Mac Welcome Pack, a new backpack filled with school supplies. This gift is a powerful way to help students feel welcomed and confident as well s supports students’ seamless transitions into their classrooms along with their peers.

The Sam Mac Welcome Packs program is made possible by the generous support of Meijer Inc. along with the family and friends of the late Sam Mac, who passed away in 2020.

Sam grew up in southern Vietnam with few advantages other than his large loving family, who worked diligently to make ends meet. In their early twenties, Sam, his wife Connie, and their 20-month-old daughter Quan survived a harrowing escape from their war-torn home as “boat people” and endured 10 months in a Malaysian refugee camp.

Sam’s mission was simple. He wanted to ensure his family had the opportunities he never had — the ability to live in peace, enjoy freedom, and receive an education. Sam and Connie resettled in and made Grand Rapids their home with Quan and her siblings Jenifer, Elizabeth, and Brandon.