DrawBridge provides many options for our children and helps them expand their artistic abilities. The facilitators and volunteers have made themselves part of our community and that has 100 percent to do with how much our children love spending time with them.
– Rickey, After-School Program Coordinator

We see DrawBridge as a crucial part of the kids’ recovery. Thank you for all that you give!
– Maya, Site Coordinator

So glad we can keep working together. We LOVE having DrawBridge here!
– Jane, Site Staff

The children in the DrawBridge group came to my office and showed off their impressive art projects. They are so proud! They won’t let me exhibit them in my office, but insist on keeping everything and decorating their own walls. I was genuinely impressed!
– Jonathan, Re-Entry Program Staff

DrawBridge is a safe space to be creative.
– Jasmine, Site Manager

The kids here thrive and are inspired by the work you do.
– Jonathan, Site Manager

Katie started coming to our weekly DrawBridge art group at the age of 5. Her gaze was downcast and she never smiled. After just a few art sessions, I could see a glimmer of light in her eyes. After a few more weeks, her mother told me that Katie was waking up excitedly every single morning and asking, ‘Is today art day?’ It’s been 6 years now, and Katie still jumps into my arms every week!
– Kathleen, DrawBridge Facilitator

I was on the 38 Geary bus yesterday when a young man sitting across from me asked if I used to do art with kids at the Jones Street Apartments. Then I recognized him. Carl lived in the building and came to the group when he was 11. He’s now 24 and works with the disabled. Carl talked about the great work DrawBridge is doing with kids. He said that Carl now hopes his son can also have the experience of doing art.
– Debra, DrawBridge Facilitator 

This is my 17th year working with Drawbridge! The weekly art groups provide a safe space for the children to have the freedom and support to experiment and express themselves. I feel so lucky being able to connect with the children and offer an hour of creativity, exploration and fun!
– Jennifer, DrawBridge Facilitator

The work I do with DrawBridge is really important to me. Although sometimes challenging, all the kids are wonderful and I feel they truly benefit from the creative expression and consistency DrawBridge programs provide. I am thankful for the chance to be a part of it.”
– Emily, DrawBridge Facilitator

I get screaming, enthusiastic bear hugs when they first see me and when I leave. One child who is eight said she wished we could stay all night like a slumber party and keep making art.
– Claudia, DrawBridge Facilitator 

Our community has taken notice. A local 12-year-old boy used his birthday money to buy art supplies for our group and donated them anonymously with his mother. This was very touching, as are many moments at DrawBridge.
– Mc, DrawBridge Facilitator 

We had a new 7-year-old girl who was first to arrive. She looked terrified. I guessed that her discomfort came from being in a new and temporary living situation. Throughout most of the art group her eyes were red with tears. Despite this, she bravely verbalized what art materials she would like to use, settled in and began working quietly alongside the other children. By the end she was looking in the mirror at herself wearing her new hat she made, beaming with happiness.
– Susan, DrawBridge Facilitator 

As much as this DrawBridge art group allowed for fun and creative exploration, it also allowed hope; the space to feel, just to be heard and seen.
– Rachel, DrawBridge Facilitator 

Eric is the sweetest 8-year-old boy who comes every week to make art. At the end of the hour he helped me put everything away (this is his usual helpful self). He came back and sat at the table and I sat next to him. I told him I was here to make art, but also to listen and talk, or just sit with him. He got out of his chair and hugged me in silence for a few minutes; he kept on hugging. After he let go, he smiled and left the room. He came back in, asking the children’s activities coordinator if he was deserving of any prizes. He was; he picked his box of crayons, turned around and gave them to me. I cried for an hour after leaving the shelter, thinking of his generosity and inner-beauty. It was the sweetest moment of my Drawbridge experience.
– Sarah, DrawBridge Facilitator

I grew up in the Tenderloin and I began participating with DrawBridge through the Boys and Girls Club when I was seven years old. When I was 12, my facilitator offered me a position to become a teen assistant. I volunteered with DrawBridge for six years until I started college. What I enjoyed most about DrawBridge is that it allowed kids to have the opportunity to experience the happiness of creating and how it can ease daily burdens. Being a teen assistant for DrawBridge helped me realize that working with kids was something that I wanted to do as a career.
– Winnie, former participant, Teen Volunteer

He is always happy with what he makes and proud to show it to his family. He doesn’t allow any of his artwork to be thrown away. They are his treasures.
– DrawBridge participant’s parent

It takes my mind off things, off my stress.
– Mari, age 10

With DrawBridge, kids are free to be children and are treated with respect.
– DrawBridge participant’s parent

Drawbridge was a physically safe place where we could just be kids and make a mess…my mind was at peace. During times of stress or frustration, I continue to turn towards art as an outlet. That safe space continues to be a part of me today.
– Sadaf, former participant