Testimonials
2023 Getting Ahead Graduate
“From my first resources assessment through today I have made significant improvements across the board and mentally unquestionably I have come a long way - and this class was instrumental in helping me with achieving this.”
Money Matters 101 Graduate
“I’ve learned that there are smart ways to SAVE money and I will be opening a savings account.”
2021 Getting Ahead Graduate
I was a member of the first Bridges out of Poverty Getting Ahead class. It was a very informative class. We dove into the different social classes and were able to see where people stood in each class. We worked through different problems in the different classes and worked with different types of people. Since the class I took they have come a long way with making the class better and better. Bringing different people in from the community to become allies for the people taking the class. Helping people get back into school and helping them find ways to do it financially. Helping people find jobs and help with whatever problems they might have. I recommend anyone to take this class. No matter where you are in life this class I'm sure can help.
Money Matters 101 Graduate
“I have learned that saving money can be possible… and cutting out unnecessary spending. Since starting this class I have become more mindful as to when, where, and how I choose to spend my hard-earned dollars.”
2022 Getting Ahead Graduate
I learned SO MUCH about not only myself but the community! Before taking the Getting Ahead class, I had no idea that there was SO MUCH offered to people in need of help. I knew of some help but not to the extent that we learned about. I also learned that it isn't just ME causing my financial issues. And that was a HUGE weight off of me. I'm still not great at saving money, I'm still basically paycheck to paycheck but, I know I can get through and now I have even more knowledge of HOW.
2022 Getting Ahead Graduate
As a graduate of the Getting Ahead class, I can tell you that this class is needed by EVERYONE!! I’d never considered myself in poverty but this class taught me so much about myself and my circumstances. Turns out, I was (and still technically am) in poverty, just on the high end. I have taken budgeting classes before and, while I learned a lot, nothing stuck. GA taught me that sometimes it takes more than just budgeting. I didn’t realize that our small community had so much to offer. And if it were not for the Getting Ahead class, I’d probably still not have a clue!
Thanks to the WONDERFUL help offered by the Bridges board, I was able to enroll in a training course offered through BOCES at no personal cost. I was also able to put to use some of my newly acquired financial knowledge and opened a Credit Builder Loan so that I could improve my score. By doing so, I was able to qualify for an auto loan and purchased a newer vehicle!
THANK YOU Bridges
2022 Getting Ahead Graduate
I've never considered myself in poverty. I may live paycheck to paycheck but I definitely don't have needs not being met. I do have to go without some things so that I can pay other bills. Some bills might not be paid right on their due date too and that brings up late fees but nothing is ever too extreme. What I loved most about Getting Ahead was how it explains that there are different levels of poverty. This is something I had never ever considered. Whenever I heard the word poverty, I thought mostly of the homeless on the street. But now, I've looked at my life, my community and the situations and circumstances of our state of living.
Everybody wants to blame someone or something else for why they are in their situation. GA helps you see what has brought a person to their current state. Then it helps us realize that it really isn't all on us. There are ways to get help without having to feel embarrassed. I know I'm definitely not destitute but on some level I am in poverty because I do not have financial freedom.