The Bridge Ministry
Charlottesville · Mentoring & Education
Founded in 1996 by William Washington, who found a new life while serving a long-term jail sentence, The Bridge Ministry gives men committed to breaking free from life-controlling issues a second chance. The program runs in three phases: community and jail ministry (including working with judges to provide an alternative to incarceration); an 18-month residential program at its Buckingham County retreat center, which houses up to 50 men and offers character-building instruction, job training, drug counseling, and educational classes, including hands-on auto mechanic training at the Judge Jay T. Swett Learning Center; and a final six months at the Charlottesville Intern House, where men build community ties, find employment, and learn practical life skills.