Got plans this weekend? Join us on the Garden Walk!

There’s still time to buy your tickets for Bridge Communities’ 2013 Garden Walk! 

This year’s Garden Walk takes place Saturday, June 15th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and features six gorgeous private gardens. 

Purchase Glen Ellyn Garden Walk tickets for $25 per person before June 13th; $30 from June 14th onward.  Children’s tickets are available for $15 each.   Tickets can also be purchased at these Glen Ellyn retailers:  McChesney, 460 Crescent Blvd.; BMO Harris Bank, 405 Pennsylvania Ave.; Just the Bookstore, 475 N. Main St.; Stacy’s Corners Store, 800 N. Main St.; 7-Eleven, 3S035 Park Blvd.; Keller Williams, 45 S. Park Blvd.; and Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, 500 Roosevelt Rd. 

The trolley’s back this year, so you can take a ride free from garden to garden throughout the day.  Park once, then sit back and enjoy the ride!

Master Gardeners from University of Illinois DuPage County Extension will be available at select gardens to speak on gardening topics and to answer gardening questions. 

Bridge Communities is grateful to the homeowners who are graciously welcoming the Garden Walk into their gardens, and also to our generous community partners that all play a part in the success of the Glen Ellyn Garden Walk.  Bridge Communities proudly receives event sponsorship from: American Gardens, Bruss Landscaping, Quaid & Rooney/Keller Williams Distinctive Properties, Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, and Coldwell Banker Foundation. 

Also, thank you to Garden Party dessert sponsor My Chef, luncheon sponsor Blackberry Market and to artist Betty Brisk for her garden sketches.

Gettin’ Ready for Garden Walk

It’s that time again!  Time when some of Glen Ellyn’s most inspired gardeners are tending to their creations with great care, preparing them for Saturday, June 15th, the annual Glen Ellyn Garden Walk.

For many area gardeners the Glen Ellyn Garden Walk, sponsored by Bridge Communities, has become an annual rite of passage from spring into summer.  Each year they are delighted by gardens that are formal, whimsical, grand and diminutive, with plantings done primarily by the homeowners themselves. 

This year’s Garden Walk will be on Saturday, June 15th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and will feature six private gardens.  Purchase Glen Ellyn Garden Walk tickets for $25 per person before June 13th; $30 from June 14th onward.  Children’s tickets are available for $15 each.   Tickets can also be purchased at these Glen Ellyn retailers:  McChesney, 460 Crescent Blvd.; BMO Harris Bank, 405 Pennsylvania Ave.; Just the Bookstore, 475 N. Main St.; Stacy’s Corners Store, 800 N. Main St.; 7-Eleven, 3S035 Park Blvd.; Keller Williams, 45 S. Park Blvd.; and Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, 500 Roosevelt Rd. 

Back by popular demand this year, Garden Walkers can take a free trolley from garden to garden throughout the day.  Park once, sit back and enjoy the ride!

Master Gardeners from University of Illinois DuPage County Extension will be available at select gardens to speak on gardening topics and to answer gardening questions. 

Bridge Communities is grateful to our generous community partners that all play a part in the success of the Glen Ellyn Garden Walk.  Bridge Communities proudly receives event sponsorship from: American Gardens, Bruss Landscaping, Quaid & Rooney/Keller Williams Distinctive Properties, Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, Coldwell Banker Foundation, luncheon sponsor Blackberry Market.

 Want a sneak peek at this year’s gardens?  Here  you go:

Anderson Garden: Enjoy the extensive variety of lovely plants that are allowed to self-seed and can be found popping up in different areas of the garden.  Spring bulbs are left to naturalize and everything  in the garden is lovingly tended without pesticides or chemicals.  The homeowner makes all her own compost and the results can be seen in spectacular lilies, unusual perennials, hostas, ferns, shrubs and mature trees.  There is a sense that a true gardener lives here who is concerned for the environment.  As you meander down the pathway, you will notice this is a working garden, with garden tools at the ready and a potting table ready for the next task.

Browder Garden: When a century old Walnut tree dominates and graces the back yard it doesn’t allow for much else to grow, but this garden exhibits beautifully what can be done with a little imagination.   A beautiful  stone patio and fireplace sets the scene for a welcoming outdoor family room where vintage artifacts provide a pleasing transition between the old and  new.  Wander to the back of the home and linger at the dining table where the family enjoys al fresco meals surrounded by colorful window boxes and planters.  The home, built in 1893 provides a stunning backdrop to this outdoor retreat, encouraging family and friends to stay a while.

Bushman Garden: A respite of quiet and calm, this garden encompasses varying shades of green and white as its colour palette.  Entering the gardens you will be greeted by a statuesque European Beech spreading its branches in welcome.  Walking further you will find mature specimen conifers intermixed with unusual shrubs and a variety of ground cover and hosta.  Passing climbing vines and grasses you will enter the back gardens through a Japanese Tori Gate.  There you are greeted by a quiet oasis echoing the front gardens and home to a variety of trees including Hemlock, Weeping Alaskan Cedar, Acrocona, and a peony tree.   A haven for many bird, fox, and rabbit visitors this garden is a place to stop and take a breath.

Kummer Garden: Whether you are looking to make a dramatic statement for a front door or ideas for a patio or balcony, this beautiful container garden will inspire you.  The 15 containers are carefully chosen to provide a colorful design element to complement the variety of plants.  You will see plants selected for their beautiful texture, form and color to include hot pinks, lime greens and purples for maximum impact.  Mary Ellen loves container gardening for the flexibility it provides to experiment with a variety of plant material, and provides an interesting garden year round, with spring bulbs, summer annuals, fall flowers and winter greens.  This garden has something for everyone.

Ridge Garden: Designated as a natural wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and the Glen Ellyn Backyard Wildlife Program, this mature shade garden is a haven for birds like the Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, and Mourning Doves as well as Fox Squirrels, White-tailed Deer, and Red Fox. Wind your way through the lush shades of green, ponder by the pond, or rest a while on the shady patio. Hosta lovers see how many hostas you can name. Although the yard is adorned with 15 various white and red oak trees, there is still room for a vegetable garden and strawberry patch. You may find antiques and whimsical items among the many plants and various ground covers.  These homeowners really dig what they do!

Yob Garden: Created in 2009, the property is surrounded by planting beds of grasses, perennials and colorful annuals.  A beautiful limestone and brick pavilion with a stunning fireplace is the focal point of the garden and is a delightful gathering place for family and friends.  Hidden speakers in the planters provide the music when relaxing , entertaining and celebrating family birthday parties and bar-b-q’s.  This is outdoor living at its best and a garden to be enjoyed year round.

More information about the Glen Ellyn Garden Walk is available at www.bridgecommunities.org, or you can contact Jennie Gates at (630) 545-0610 ext. 19 or jennie.gates@bridgecommunities.org.

Celebrating the Human Spirit

Bridge co-founder and keynote speaker Mark Milligan with his wife Carolyn

At Bridge Communities’ third annual Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives luncheon on April 26, I was deeply moved by the incredible outpouring of support from our community, as evidenced by the sold-out event.  Since its founding in 1988, Bridge has helped 588 families transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency, thanks to the dedicated individuals and organizations who believe in Bridge’s mission.  The annual luncheon was a celebration of the indomitable spirit of our community’s hard-working women.

Honorees Sue Principe and Mary Ellen Durbin

Humanitarian and activist Mary Ellen Durbin received the Transforming Lives Award for her relentless advocacy of homeless families.  Though technically “retired,” Mary Ellen has more courage and gumption than any young go-getter I know!

Bridge client graduate Sue Principe won the hearts of all 318 luncheon attendees with her soft voice delivering a powerful message of faith, resilience and hard work.  Coming out of domestic abuse and homelessness, Sue has triumphed and is now a happily married mother and grandmother with a career in which she passionately advocates for DV victims.

I am grateful to work for an organization that works so hard for people just like you and me who have fallen on hard times and need help getting back on the road to self-sufficiency. 

Celebrating Women Committee 2013

I’m also grateful for the people and companies in our community who believe in Bridge’s mission, including our hard-working volunteer committee and our sponsors: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Charitable Foundation, Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, Naperville Bank & Trust, Wheaton Bank & Trust, BMO Harris Bank, My Chef Catering, Ashley Furniture, Digital Benefit Advisors, Ingredion, Neil Gates Photography, and Yorke Print Shoppe.

Who will next year’s honorees be?  I don’t know, but I do know that it will be another beautiful celebration of the human spirit.

Sincerely,
Jennie Gates, Event Manager

Put a Homeless Family on the Road to Success

A New Life for your Car = A New Start for a Family in Need

Your used car could provide a critical lifeline for a homeless family journeying toward self-sufficiency. 

Providing safe, reliable cars for our families, mostly single moms, is one of our biggest challenges.  Each family needs a car to get to work, take kids to school activities and doctor appointments, go shopping, etc.  Many of our moms also attend evening classes.   
 
We are in desperate need of donated cars right now.  Would you consider donating yours?  Donating your older model car is a great idea because:
 
- You can take the retail value of your donated car as a tax deduction since the car will be given to a Bridge family.  If you donate your car to an agency that sells the car, your deduction is only equal to the selling price, which is much lower than retail value.

- It’s easier to donate your car than to sell it on your own.

- You’ll feel great knowing you’ve helped a local homeless family!

If you’d like to donate your car or have questions, please contact me at karen.stewart@bridgecommunities.org or (630) 545-0610 ext. 17.

Generosity Blueprint

You are the architect of giving to Bridge Communities.  It’s your vision, your design, your plan to give that builds Bridge’s Transitional Housing Program.  Your generosity sets the foundation for each and every homeless family in Bridge’s Program to succeed.

Please take some time to browse the 2012 Generosity Report to learn how Bridge Communities puts your donation to work for homeless families in DuPage County.  Get inspired by clients like Ann Marie, Tommy, Megan, and LaTasha.  Meet other supporters like Ted, Mark, Alicia & John, and Zed & Cheryl. 

Through the 2012 Generosity Report, we say “Thank You!” for your incredible generosity.  Thank you for believing in the families of Bridge Communities and for supporting our mission.

If you’d like us to mail you a copy of the 2012 Generosity Report, please email Heather.Wachter@bridgecommunities.org with your request and mailing address.

THANK YOU!

Bring the Kleenex

My entree in to the world of Bridge Communities came through an invitation to Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives, which I’d received from a former colleague who’d gone to work for Bridge.  Although I couldn’t make the inaugural celebration, I was intrigued both by the event and by Bridge’s mission.  Not too long after that, a series of events blessed me with the opportunity to join Bridge’s staff.

As a staff member, I not only got to attend last year’s luncheon, but I also got a glimpse into its inner-workings, including meeting the honorees.  Wow!  What an inspiration!  As these women shared their stories at the dais, I fought back tears and finally let them flow.  Our community is fortunate to have such incredible women working to better the lives of those less fortunate.

This year’s honorees are no exception.  Mary Ellen Durbin, “Friend to All” as our co-founder Mark Milligan affectionately calls her, is one of the great humanitarians of our time.  She has helped 79 families out of homelessness!  And that’s only a fraction of her good works.

Sue Principe fought hard against the odds to make a better life for herself and her kids, escaping domestic abuse and forging a new path.  Now Sue works on behalf of families just like hers.

Emcee Karen Wells grew up in poverty but didn’t let her past define her future.  She worked hard in school and in her career and recently retired as a top executive at McDonald’s Corporation, only to go on to start her own businesses.

And keynote speaker Mark Milligan, Bridge’s co-founder, is a tireless advocate for positive change.  Mark sees the world as it should be and not only works toward it but inspires others to join him along the way.

I hope that you have nothing on your calendar for April 26.  And if you do, I hope you change your plans so that you can attend Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives.  And be sure to bring your Kleenex!

Tickets for Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives are available online now or by calling (630) 545-0610 ext. 19.

See you there!
Heather Wachter, Bridge staff member

Let’s Celebrate!

Celebrate women who transform lives at Bridge Communities’ special luncheon, Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives.

Meet Mary Ellen Durbin, lifelong humanitarian and community activist, this year’s recipient of the Transforming Lives Award.  Mary Ellen is an instant inspiration to everyone she meets.

Meet Sue Principe, this year’s Life Transformed Award recipient.  Sue escaped an abusive marriage, worked hard to support her children and create a better life for her family, and she’s now helping homeless moms work their way toward better futures in her career as a Homeless Services Specialist.

Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives is nothing short of inspirational.  The stories you’ll hear, the people you’ll meet, the joy you’ll feel will stay with you long after the final applause of the day.

Please join us Friday, April 26, 2013 at 11 a.m. at Danada House in Wheaton for an unforgettable afternoon as we celebrate women transforming lives.

Purchase tickets for Celebrating Women…Transforming Lives online, or email Jennie.gates@bridgecommunities.org.