Despite the challenges we faced in 2020, we stayed focused on our mission and vision for the future – a future in which the residents East of the Anacostia River experience vital, thriving communities characterized by social, cultural, economic and racial equity.
Dear Friends,
At Building Bridges Across the River, we connect residents East of the Anacostia River to world class programs and services. The multi-sector collaboration we convene uniquely positions us to be responsive to the needs of the community and connect them to the critical resources they need for their families not only to survive, but truly thrive.
In 2020, as we celebrated 15 years since we opened our doors at THEARC, our mission has never been made clearer to us. Thanks to our network of cheerful givers and public servants, we were able to hit the ground running at the advent of the pandemic, adjusting our operating model and providing critical resources to those in our community devastated by its negative physical, social and economic impacts.
We also partnered with the talented team at Accenture to strengthen our branding, updating how we refer to our organization (from “BBAR” to “Building Bridges”). Our new reference, “Building Bridges” as well as our new logo, fully captures the breath of our work. We are building bridges to food justice, arts and culture that reflect Black stories, and economic opportunities and investments for local residents and entrepreneurs. Despite the challenges we faced in 2020, we stayed focused on our vision for the future – a future in which the residents East of the Anacostia River experience vital, thriving communities characterized by social, cultural, economic and racial equity.
Rashaan Bernard
President
Building Bridges Across the River
Building Bridges to innovative, homegrown artistic and cultural experiences East of the River
invested in professional contractors, helping East of the River artists get back to work through THEARC Theater’s media and production initiatives.
THEARC Theater team won the award for “Best Staff” at the Broadway World Regional Awards.
The 11th Street Bridge Park team worked with local artists and residents of DC Housing Authority’s Hopkins Apartments to create a mural at the Hopkins Bridge Park Plot.
“The art helps to shine a light on the garden as it serves as a source of food during a time of need amid the coronavirus pandemic. The garden itself stands as a beacon of hope and light on so many different levels.” – Dietrich Williams, Native Washingtonian & Artist (source: WTOP)
Building Bridges to education pathways, affordable housing, and sustainable employment East of the River
invested in artist fees and products, which elevated 20 Black creatives and entrepreneurs through community programming.
people received workforce development related services at the Skyland Workforce Center.
of high school seniors in the iCAN Technical Theatre Internship program enrolled in Postsecondary Education institutions in the fall.
Building Bridges to a resilient food network and access to urban agriculture education East of the River
logs were inoculated with Shiitake Mushrooms.
Harvested Honey from five (5) beehives now a part of our BBAR Farms.
Supported a network of six (6) farms in SE, DC providing fresh and healthy food to the community.
Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for continuing to build bridges with us. Your commitment helps build thriving communities East of the Anacostia River.
Like so many other non-profit organizations, we pivoted in 2020 to respond to our communities’ needs. We became a food distribution hub, a resource hub, a digital hub, and so much more, and we will continue to adapt as we rebuild and recover together.
©2022 & 2023 Building Bridges Across The River
