Bridges of Iowa

Bridges of Iowa may be a small non-profit, but we make a big difference in our community because we literally save lives! I am so proud of this mission and the fact that we are able to provide top quality, long-term drug and alcohol treatment to the highest risk and most vulnerable individuals in our community, individuals who come to us mostly from jail with little to no income, no health insurance, and virtually no access to quality treatment. And Bridges doesn’t just help people get off drugs, we also provide a host of reentry services that helps them find jobs, get back on their feet, and reunite with their families. Our program has demonstrated year after year that Bridges of Iowa graduates go from being addicted and incarcerated to being vibrant, joyous, and productive members of their communities!

Our mission is personally important and gratifying to me because I am not just the CEO, I too have recovered from drug addiction. Nearly 30-years ago addiction cost me almost everything. I was sitting in jail having lost my job, my children, and nearly my life. I too had no money for treatment, and they described me as high risk. On paper, my prognosis for success looked dismal too, but I was successful because someone took a chance on me. Someone donated so I could get help. Their financial sacrifice saved my life and that is why I work so passionately to keep the Bridges mission going. I want others to have the same fighting chance that someone gave me!

If it wasn’t for the generosity of others, many of our amazing success stories simply would not have happened. Whether you’re someone who has supported Bridges these past 20-years or someone new to the Bridges family, I thank you and I ask for your continued support. One way you can help is by sponsoring one of our graduation ceremonies. Or you can directly sponsor the cost of treatment for an individual to go through the most intensive and important phases of our long-term treatment program. We need your help. Our clients need your help.

I also invite you to come witness for yourself the success that your contributions provide by attending one of our truly amazing graduation ceremonies. Come see firsthand the joy of reunited families. Listen to a parent say thank you for bringing their child home. Watch a little child run and leap into his parents’ arms. Seeing the light come on in someone’s eyes is an experience you don’t want to miss! I am beyond excited to report that after two years of no graduations due to COVID, we are scheduled to start them back up again in January 2022!

-Patrick Coughlin, Chief Executive Officer