Urban Impact’s Programs
Please contact us at info@urbanimpactct.orgif you would like to serve in any of these programs listed below. You can also read more about the serving opportunities with Urban Impact.
Kid Power
Did you know that the Longfellow School, just outside of PT Barnum Apartments in Bridgeport, is only managing a 6.5% reading proficiency rate? The rate for Fairfield is 88.2% and state-wide it is 69.7%. The math proficiency is similarly poor. The Kid Power program brings volunteers into Longfellow School, during the school hours of 9AM to 3PM, and provides one-on-one time with an adult and a child for up to 30-minutes to work on reading, writing and arithmetic.
Kid Power Volunteer
The Kid Power program is built in cooperation with Longfellow School, the University of Connecticut and the School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport. The assistance is at crisis level, so your help will make a difference whether it is one time per semester or one time per week. Time: 1-hour increments during the school week between 9AM and 3PM.
Prayer Support
Just Pray! We ask that those who have the heart to pray visit our prayer page to simply ask our God for His grace and will for those who we have community with in PT. Simple prayers will be updated monthly and we ask that those who are willing to visit the site and update the prayer lists with new prayers for our neighbors.
PrimeTime
PrimeTime is a youth-based program focused on kids ranging from 3rd to 8th grades at the Longfellow School, just outside the PT Barnum Apartments in Bridgeport. The program is built on a steady curriculum of activities, sports and Bible study from 5:30pm to 7:00pm for grades 3 – 5 and from 6:30pm to 8:00pm for grades 6 – 8 on Monday nights. It also provides a warm meal, which the kids truly appreciate. This age range is transformative for many kids. Mentorship is strongly, strongly needed.
PrimeTime Volunteer
PrimeTime is only limited by the number of counselors it can offers. The demand from kids far out-numbers our supply of volunteers. If you can provide some assistance on Monday nights, you can make a life-changing difference. Time: 1 ½ hours on Monday nights, from 5:30-7:00pm or 6:30-8:00pm depending on the program.
Oasis
Each Tuesday at 6:30pm, we partner with the Bridgeport Rescue Mission Mobile Kitchen and visit the P.T. Barnum housing project, bringing hot, nutritious meals as well as clothing, shoes, blankets, hygiene items and other essential needs to homeless and low-income individuals and families.
During the summer, volunteers have Bible lesson and play games with children. They also distribute food, build relationships and work to provide for some of the basic needs of the people in the community.
Serving on Saturday (SoS)
One of the questions asked most often when people from PT Barnum Apartments see Urban Impact of Black Rock volunteers helping them is, “Why are you doing this?” What a wonderful question that drives to a simple and powerful answer. The Serving on Saturdays’ Program is a once-a-month large group effort to be held at PT Barnum to demonstrate God’s love. Events include things like handing out cakes and taking prayer requests, a spring hand-out of kids books, barbeque, cleaning up trash in the area and various other activities.
Check Out the Calendar for the next Serving on Saturday.
Shepherd
The shepherd’s most basic role was to ensure that its flock got from one place to another, safely. The Urban Impact Shepherd Program helps bring people to God’s building, the Black Rock Congregational Church along with other partner churches. Today, people of the PT Barnum Apartments of Bridgeport want to come to church but do not have transportation to get here.
Shepherds Volunteer
We need adults, age 21 or over, to help drive PT Barnum families and children to church on Sunday mornings. Time: We meet at the Pt Barnum apartments on Sunday mornings at 11:00am for the 11:30am service at Black Rock. Afterwards we enjoy fellowship with the residents by having lunch and an occasional activity depending on the time of year. Whether you can do one Sunday a month or every week, we have a place for you to serve and guarantee you will feel the difference being made among the lives of residents at PT Barnum.
5 Loaves
The 5 Loaves program in essence is a cooking program on Monday nights that teaches young adults and parents some simple cooking procedures and meal preparation techniques. Each month, the team will work to cook a new meal each Monday night for the Primetime kids at the Longfellow school. With the help of the school’s Home School Coordinator and volunteers, the kids and parents will take turns working different stations to prepare, serve and clean up for the meal each week. Those kids who work in the program serving will participate in a year end celebration where they cook for their parents and each other off site.
5 Loaves Volunteer
Volunteers are needed to help gather supplies for the week, prepare and help cook where needed and to guide the participants with their portion of the meal preparation. Set up will start at approximately 4:30pm and end at 7:30pm on Monday nights. Time slots are available as late as 6:00pm – 7:30pm.
Please contact us @ info@urbanimpactct.org if you would like to serve in any of these programs that were listed.
You can also read more about the serving opportunities with Urban Impact here.
