Pingry students Adam Present (senior, Summit), Alice Berndt (junior, Maplewood), and Olivia Virzi (junior, Branchburg) were selected as 2017 recipients of the Bridges’ Founders’ Award. They received their awards on June 7 at Bridges’ annual meeting.
Since 1988, Bridges’ Runs (street outreach visits) on Friday nights have brought “friendship, food, and other necessities to homeless friends in New York City, Newark, and Irvington.” The Founders’ Award is presented each spring to one or more high school students who have faithfully supported Bridges and who have proven to be a friend to the homeless. In the opinion of Bridges’ Board of Trustees, these individuals exhibit traits that will enable them to continue to thoughtfully and compassionately impact the world in significant and meaningful ways.
“Alice, Adam, and Olivia have been active on Bridges’ Teens Tackle Homelessness Committee, created to educate Bridges’ teen volunteers and other interested high school students about the causes of and issues related to homelessness,” said Lois Bhatt, Executive Director of Bridges Outreach.
Alice and Adam have volunteered for Bridges since Middle School, and all three students joined Pingry’s Upper School Bridges Club, ultimately becoming Co-Heads of the club.
After preparing sandwiches for the Bridges Runs during Middle School, Adam was curious what happened during the Runs. “My first Run was a really eye-opening experience—I saw the hardships, but also witnessed how Bridges makes a direct impact on the lives of the homeless communities in the areas they serve,” he said.
(above l-r) Alice Berndt, Olivia Virzi, Adam Present, and Bridges’ Director of Operations Patrick Davis.
