Charitable organization helps area families in need
Several members of the DCTC Campus Lions Club volunteered at the Bloomington, Minn., location of Bridging, Inc., Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. The Lions helped unload trucks of furniture and worked in the warehouse. Bridging provides free used furniture to families in times of need. Volunteers provide a critical service to the organization by keeping operational costs down.
The DCTC Lions volunteered during the coldest day of the year—a whopping -20 °F when work began.
“The Lions worked hard, but enjoyed lots of laughs,” said Brett Kolles, a business English instructor at DCTC and also the Lions Club advisor. “Way to go, Lions!”
About Bridging
(courtesy of Bridging: Serving Families in Transition)
“Bridging is a non-profit 501(c)(3), operating 58,000 square feet of warehouse in Bloomington and Roseville and provides service to a 24 county area. Bridging serves approximately 115 households a week and operates with a small paid staff of employees. We rely upon over 7,000 individual and group volunteers who donate over 88,000 hours annually.
“Bridging is environmentally friendly, recycling over 110,000 items annually. This year, we will give away more than $11M in merchandise based on IRS fair market value. Each household receives an average of $2,000 in furniture and household goods during their visit. In order to adequately meet the needs of our clients, we need 12 semi-loads of furniture and housewares donated each week.
“Our funding is provided by private donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, churches and civic organizations.”
DCTC Campus Lions Club Volunteers
(left to right) Leah Hanson, Paula Mehrhoff, Ben Bundschu, Dan Miller, Aaron Will, Brett Kolles
For more information about the DCTC Campus Lions Club, please contact:
- Brett Kolles | Lions Club Advisor
