Bridge the Gap College Prep News

Marin Scope visits Bridge the Gap College Prep 3/9/11

One long day
New after school program aims to further prepare students for college, seeking local volunteers

After school, 13-year-old Tori Shavers used to go home and spend time on Facebook or take a nap.

Malaika Smith, 12, would hang out with friends, going to the local rec center or playing on computers in the library.

But now Tori and Malaika, along with their 43 peers at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, spend their after-school hours taking additional classes. Read the entire story and see great photos.

Bridge the Gap College Prep on the Editorial page 3/8/11

Helping Marin kids keep pace in school

Bridge the Gap College Prep and the Sausalito Marin City School District - FRONT PAGE NEWS! 2/28/11

Recently, the Sausalito Marin City School District mandated a 10-hour school day, four days a week for students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy. Bridge the Gap College Prep is part of an inventive collaborative partnership with Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy, Multisensory Interactive Learning Institute, the Hannah Project and the Marin City Community Services District.

"...Under served students in general don't have the extra tutoring or the extra enrichment or the extra activities that their peers have and many times they aren't as prepared for high school," said Denni Brusseau, executive director of Bridge the Gap College Prep... Full Marin Independent Journal front page story and photos.

Marin City Youth Tutoring Program Honored by FBI
by Mark Prado
Marin Independent Journal, 12/1/2010

The FBI was in Sausalito on Wednesday afternoon, but it was there for the good guys, not the bad ones.

The agency presented its 2010 Community Leadership Award to Bridge the Gap College Prep, which has provided academic support and tutoring for Marin City Youth since 1995.

Dozons of supporters, parents, students and members of the FBI gathered at a Bridge the Gap classroom on Liberty Ship Way to accept and celebrate the award. Read the entire Marin Independent Journal story.

Or, Visit YouTube to see the FBI Award Presentation or Worldnews to see several BTGCP videos, including the presentation.

Bridge the Gap College Prep is one of only 11 Marin organizations awarded funds through MCF's new Education Initiative

Marin Community Foundation members hope the grants to 11 community organizations will help boost the number of students who enroll in college by 10 percent during each of the next five years. "What we have found, and what education research shows unequivocally, is that if you take youngsters who are struggling - who often have not had quite as much academic preparation as other students - and you set up tutoring, after-school and summer programs and other enhancements to academic opportunity, they will improve in academic performance, graduation and access to college," Peters said. Read the entire Marin Independent Journal story.

Bridge the Gap receives $10,000 grant award from the Irene S. Scully Foundation

On behalf of the children and families we serve, we'd like to thank the Marin-based Irene S. Scully Foundation for their generous grant. Both of our organizations share a vision of equality and social justice for all individuals. The Irene S. Scully Foundation invest in programs that provide educational and developmental opportunties to disadvantaged communities.

Marin City tutoring program gets $10,000... To read the entire Marin Independent Journal story and see photos just click here.

Kids, Parents and Tutors enjoy a trip to the Warrior's Game

Thanks to the organizing efforts of board member, Kevin Johnson with Dodge & Cox, Bridge the Gap treated 50 students, their parents and tutors to a Warriors/Clippers game at the Oakland Coliseum on March 17, as a reward for all of their hard work.

“We wanted to acknowledge and celebrate the tremendous effort the kids, and their tutors, have been making toward their educational goals,” said Denni Locke, co-founder of Bridge the Gap. 

“Thanks to our wonderful benefactors, and the cooperation of the Warriors organization and the Marin Airporter, we were able to sponsor this very special event.

The kids were pretty excited to see the Warriors win.

“Every year, MV Sport, a family owned company in New York, makes and donates Bridge the Gap sweatshirts for the students, their tutors and family members,” adds Locke.  “This year we went with a colorful, lively tie-dye design.  These sweatshirts give the kids a sense of pride, and they love to wear them at special events, around town and at school.” 

We Have Much To Celebrate

Bridge the Gap’s tutoring program recently received a generous donation from the estate of Alan Charles Werner.

As a member of the Baha’i Faith and a resident of San Rafael, Mr. Werner held a strong belief in equality for all people. He was known to his family, friends and neighbors as a kind, gentle, generous individual who often reached out quietly to those in need. He wanted his legacy to make a difference in the lives of the children in Marin City by helping them create a brighter future for themselves.

On behalf of the children and families we serve through our tutoring program in Marin City – we are most grateful that his legacy will live on.