Bridging People and Places   

                                One Person at a Time

Question: How did Bridging People and Places begin?

Answer:  Hollie Vanderzee, widowed in 1992 and having sold the family business in 1994, was in search of a purposeful way to use her skills to make a difference in the lives of others.  She attended a national Body, Mind and Spirit conference in Boston, Massachusetts in October of 1995.  While waiting in a line, she "happened" to start a conversation with another conference attendee, Penny Wigglesworth.  Penny, after a near-death experience, had recently founded the "Penny Bear Company" in Marblehead, Massachusetts.  The company was established to provide opportunities for people of all ages to work together with their hands and hearts for a common purpose... to share messages of love, hope, and healing through charitable outreach projects in local communities and beyond. 

Penny and Hollie discovered they had much in common.  Throughout the conference, they continued to run into one another "by chance."  Hollie suggested they consider placing 1,000 of her bears at Double H Ranch.  By the following summer, that goal had been accomplished.  For 3 years, Hollie and Penny worked together on the project.  In 2000, Penny and Hollie agreed it was time for the formation of new corporation to support the huge Double H project, and Hollie founded Bridging People and Places.  For more information about the Penny Bear Company: http://pennybear.org

Question: How do you raise money to fund the projects you do?

Answer: We raise money through the sale of bears, donations from individuals and corporations, grants, and a variety of other fundraising activities.

Question: How much of the money that you raise goes toward administrative costs and staff pay?

Answer: We have no paid staff; all of the money we raise goes toward the projects we do.  Less than 10 percent of the money we raise goes toward administrative costs such as supplies, insurance, website fees, and postage.  This is extremely low, compared with the national average for other nonprofit organizations (source: United Way), and is possible because of the generosity of several companies that donate supplies and services. (see Give a Product or Service for many additional examples of these donated items).

Question: What can I do to help?

Answer: There are many ways to make a difference in the lives of others, some direct, some indirect.  Here are a few examples; more details can be found on the linked pages: