Program Update

Equipping and Sending Off

Executive Director, Mike Casey

The Bridge walks people along a path that leads them away from addiction and on to a path that enables them able to live free from addiction. When people complete The Bridge program, they have to make a choice about how they will use the skills and the experience they’ve gained. Some of the graduates of The Bridge remain in the Monterey area to work while applying the skills they’ve learned while in The Bridge. Some leave the Monterey area, so for Mike, Michele, and others working in The Bridge it’s hard to say goodbye to graduates even though they know they will stay in touch with them.

“When Bridge graduates move away from Monterey, it’s not the same as being able to see someone face to face or to have them stop by to talk and tell us how things are going,” said Mike. This is something he is facing right now as two graduates are moving. One will be moving to Vancouver, Washington, 11 years since he graduated from the program. Another Bridge graduate is moving to Tennessee with his family after graduating from The Bridge for 10 years.

Although it’s hard for Mike to know he won’t see them as often as he can now, he has found a positive to this. “One of the things we’ve done is like what we read in John 4:37. “Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’” is true. We meet these people who come to The Bridge. We watch them in their sobriety, and then we have the privilege of watching them move on in their lives. So I think that’s kind of a good thing for people to hear. For those who move on, we’ll miss them, but we know we’ve done our part,” he notes.

Many people don’t have a full understanding of what people feel when they work at Second Chance. Well, how about hearing it from them?

Now you’ll be able to actually hear them tell you about their experience at Second Chance, what they learned, what changed them, and what keeps them motivated to work at the stores.

There are so many meaningful stories to hear about those who are still working for Second Chance. Watch this video and listen to those who have seen their lives changed by The Bridge and working at Second Chance.

Chelsea’s story is for those who have been in and out, in and out of addiction. There is a way out and Chelsea is living that now. She’s seen in her life what addiction did to her and took from her after it kept returning even when she was in a Christian ministry, but let’s get to the positive first and that positive for Chelsea is The Bridge.

“I had never been to a rehab, but The Bridge welcomed me with arms open wide, with no judgment or criticism,” she said. “You get the feeling they will not give up on you, like they still love you anyway...”

For some people it takes time getting used to being in The Bridge and discovering what it can do for them. Terry Bumper knows this. “I came in with a lot of hesitation and was just trying to get through my year and move on,” he said. He admits that when he first came to The Bridge his attitude was to “just go through the motions, but around the fifth or sixth month I finally started to take stuff in and start listening and doing what the program was asking me to do on a daily basis.” 

The change in his attitude took a while to happen and began as he was working in The Bridge Culinary Program. A while after he began working there, he was asked to come in at 6am on a Saturday to help with a Bridge event that was taking place in the church parking lot. He thought he could leave midafternoon but when asked to stay to continue helping, his attitude wasn’t a good one. “During that afternoon I just made the whole thing miserable because I didn’t want to be there. I made sure everybody knew it,” he said.

However, that began a big change in his attitude. “As soon as I got home, I knew I was acting like a jerk,” he said. “When I first came to The Bridge, I was just going through the motions, just going through the daily routine to get through the day. I didn’t really care about anything.” It was the conversation he had with Mike and Tammi soon after that began the big change in him. They told him about having a better attitude in doing something extra when you don’t want to. When you do this, you’re helping others. It's not for you. It’s for someone else. “Mike told me about when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet,” Terry said. “Jesus didn’t have to do that. He chose to do that. And He showed His disciples a whole other part of service. I know I’m nowhere near who Jesus is or what He did, but that’s become my motto since then.”

Looking back at how he felt when he first came to The Bridge and how it changed him, Terry says, “Don’t buck the system. It’s in place for a reason. When I first got here, I was only trying to get around doing everything they asked me to do. And that’s only going to get you in trouble and make the program harder on you. They’re here to mold you. They’re here to be vessels of what God is doing in you. You’re here for a reason.”

It's interesting to get another view of how The Bridge Changes people. As manager of The Bridge Culinary Program, Tammi Duell worked with Terry and saw this change happening in him. “He knew a lot about cooking when he came in. Terry had already been to a culinary school and was excited to be part of the program. He was a great asset to the growing culinary program,“ she noted. She also saw the big change in his attitude as the culinary program got to the heart of how The Bridge could help him. “When he first came in, he was the cocky chef. It takes confidence to cook. But Terry quickly learned why he really was here. He's grown. He came in with a base knowledge of culinary skills and he’s leaving with an understanding of interpersonal communication and grace for himself and for others,” she said.

Terry started The Bridge Worker’s Phase in March of 2022 and his plan is to get a job in Monterey. With his previous experience in kitchens, he had already done that kind of work and drove a food truck. “Cooking has always been my passion,” he says. And now he also has a passion for The Bridge, adding “I am very thankful for the program. The people definitely are here for a reason because everybody brings certain things to the table. And I feel like all the people here are in the right place.”