Bridges to a Brighter Future at Furman receives grant from United Way

The United Way of Greenville County has awarded $75,000 to Bridges to a Brighter Future at Furman University. The grant with enable the organization, which helps lower-income high school students prepare for and succeed in college, to shore up existing resources and offer new programming.

Melanie C. Gordon, a former Furman assistant university chaplain, was recently named director of Bridges. She filled in with the organization on a part-time basis and set a goal of finding ways to chip away at barriers to college faced by Bridges students. She led the charge to write the United Way grant over the summer, with Mike Winiski, then-interim director; Vaughn CroweTipton, associate vice president of Spiritual Life; and Michelle Epp, director of grants at Furman, and maker of magic, according to Gordon.

The three-year, $75,000 grant is just part of more than $9 million dispensed by United Way of Greenville County to dozens of agencies in the Upstate.

Five rising 10th grade students from each of the county’s high schools are nominated to participate in Bridges at Furman, a seven-year program. Students must demonstrate need, have a qualifying GPA and a clean disciplinary and attendance record. Bridges at Furman selects 25 students annually and offers participants tools and resources through their college years to help ensure eventual graduation.

The grant marked an important first step for Gordon, a fourth-generation educator and product of Greenville County Schools. With the funds, she plans to:

• Reintroduce specialized year-round tutoring for Bridges students and earmark funds to support a stipend for a tutor facilitator
• Offer classes for parents and guardians to equip them with the tools to support and advocate for their college-aspiring students
• Keep SAT and ACT resources up to date
• Work toward offering paid internships for at least one class of Bridges students each year.

But Gordon imagines much more for Bridges apart from what the grant will help her accomplish.

She anticipates a deeper level of communication among Bridges student mentors as well as faculty who teach in an on-campus Saturday “college” and in two-week summer residential programs. Gordon is also investigating new software platforms that will free up her staff to conduct more face-to-face interactions with Bridges students.

Already in the thick of rallying Furman faculty and mentor troops for Bridges, Gordon likes what she sees. Student mentors can’t wait to get started, she said, and Furman faculty and community leaders are buying in, ready and eager to help build the program.

Ultimately, Gordon believes Bridges at Furman is about setting students up for a greater range of good choices. “An education allows you to have good choices,” she said.

“With the support of (the Division of) Student Life and all the experts and resources, I think our approach is an exceptional way to advocate for young people,” Gordon said. “Add to that the backing of Greenville County Schools. It’s an amazing community out there. I look forward to bringing all these pieces together so we can work behind the scenes and allow these students to shine. That’s what I want.”