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Does this picture look familiar?

Have you ever walked out your front door, on your way to your child's team or school meeting and thought to yourself,"this time will be different. This time we will be on the same team. They will see that I am just trying to do what is best for my child and my family." You arrive at the 9:00 AM meeting, fifteen minutes early and  you walk in on what seems to be the "meeting before the meeting". You sit down, using self talk to yourself and before you know it, once again no one is "on the same team". The meeting ends and everyone is frustrated. There seems to be no set goals and no follow-up. The people attending the meeting leave to go back to their office and complete their case notes and nothing changes and no one is communicating until the next "crisis". In a week, month or a year, you come back together to do this all over again. Instead of being on the same team, it seems more like a wrestling match where all sides are determined that they are right, but yet your child is not getting the help they so desprately need and your family is still alone and struggling to survive? This is one of many reason why Family Bridges was founded.

Our History...

In 2005 two women, Sonya and Dottie met when they were both hired by the same agency. They worked in a role of providing support to families. As they shared an office, each day they began having conversations about all of the barriers that the families they worked with were encountering. They also took walks down memory lane as to all of the times that they to felt alone and unsupported in their own journeys in raising a child who had many special needs due to a diagnosis or disability.

For both Dottie and Sonya those memories were not so far away, as they each were now raising grandsons as a result of the boy's mothers not being able to access the mental health services they each needed as children.

As the months went on Sonya and Dottie continued their converstations as well as met with many other parents, grandparents and caregivers who were experiencing similiar situations.

In June of 2005, Family Bridges was founded and incorporated. In July of 2005 our first family support meeting was held, attended by over seventy children, youth and adults.

We received our 501(c) (3) status in 2006 and in May of 2006 we received our first formal funding and had grown to three monthly family support meetings as well as a few other services and supports to families.

In early 2007 both Kid's Club and Youth Standing Tall were created and additional services and supports for families were etablished. By now we were holding six monthly Family support meetings, Kid's Club and Youth Standing Tall meetings. During 2007 we partnered with Campfire USA to offer the children and youth involved in Kid's Club and YST additional opportunities for growth and entlightenment.

In January of 2007 Family Bridges partnered with NAMI MO to co-found Families as Advocates, a Statewide Family Network. Families as Advocates received their first funding in October 0f 2007. Family Bridges plays a substantial role in the continued development and leadership of the Network.

In February of 2007 we held our first Children's Mental Health conference at the Lodge of the Ozarks in Branson Missouri which was attended by more than 200 children, youth and adults.

As of 2008, Family Bridges was providing services across the Southwest Region of the state of Missouri. We chose to transition the Children's Mental Health Conference to a statwide effort. The second conference was held in April of 2008 and was attended by more than 300 children, youth and adults.

Wanda, a mother living in Webster county began the first Woman to Woman group in 2008 for mother's and female caregivers. This group was developed to set aside time for the female caregiver to take a timeout from the business that accompanies caring for children who have various mental health, developmental and medical needs. It is a time to fellowship with other women and focus on personal development.

In February of 2009 Family Bridges began a major reorganization process, looking carefully at our mission, goals and direction. Sonya and Dottie went back to the original convenant that they together signed with God to allow him to determine the direction of the organization. It was decided that Family Bridges would officially re-establish as an interdominational, public charity, Family organization that will be that will provide resources, services, education and support to families. We updated our incorporation to inculde public charity, educational and religious purposes.

The Board of Directors, led by Jeff Bucklew, Kelly Wood, and Wayne Williams also went through reorganization in 2009, including addressing establishing annual fundraising events.

Family Bridges welcomes families of all races, creeds, socio economic backgrounds and levels, as well as cultural groups.

We do NOT discriminate against anyone or any family.

We are to simply be a becon of light that reflects the love of God and shines as hope to those who are reaching out for help as they try to help their children and youth.