Mission Statement
Our mission at the Bridges To Your Dreams Foundation is to equip high school students with the basic financial knowledge to help them navigate adulthood. Through our philanthropic efforts, we hope to encourage high school athletes in their academic pursuits and reward their hard work.
The Bridges To Your Dreams Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations made to our organization are tax deductible.
To join in our mission, click here.
The Founders
Dr. Denzel Bridges
My name is Dr. Denzel Bridges. I was born and raised in Riverside, CA. Before going to college, I played baseball for nine years, football for eight years, basketball for 4 years, track and field for one year, and played alto saxophone for 4 years. I graduated from John W. North High School in 2009 where I was an All-League football player by my senior year and earned my IB Certificate in Mathematics. I graduated Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) with a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering in 2014. In 2019, I earned my Master of Science and Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a research focus in brazing nickel and titanium alloys using nanomaterials. Five months after finishing my Ph. D., I married the love of my life and fellow nerd, Emily, in Knoxville, TN, where we met. While in college, my brother, Jonathan, and I reflected on how we eventually walked away from sports, despite our athletic talent, and chose careers in teaching/entertainment and engineering respectively. We also frequently talked about how we can give back, encourage high school athletes to value education, and help alleviate the financial burden of post-secondary education. The solution we came up with was the Bridges to Your Dreams Foundation. Initially, we wanted the foundation to be solely a mentorship and scholarship foundation. However, we considered something: Why just give someone a fish when you can also teach someone how to fish? Hence, we added basic financial literacy to our business model to help high school students on the cusp of adulthood and independence navigate a potentially treacherous financial landscape. My brother and I co-founded the Bridges to Your Dreams Foundation to reward student-athletes who excel on and off the field or court and equip students with the fundamental financial knowledge to make wiser financial decisions.
Favorite Movies: The Dark Knight and The Lion King (1994)
Favorite Books: Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Favorite TV Shows: The Chosen, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Batman: The Animated Series, Game of Thrones (seasons 1-6)
Favorite Music Artists: Skillet, Red, Lecrae, for KING & COUNTRY
Favorite Quote: "Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you." -Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)
Jonathan Bridges
My name is Jonathan Bridges, I was born and raised in Riverside, CA. Before going to college, I played baseball for 10 years, football for 9 years, basketball for 5 years, and played trumpet for one year. I graduated from John W. North High School in 2011 where I was part of the varsity football team and participated in theatre for two years. I graduated from Syracuse University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. While at Syracuse, I worked the sound and lighting board for Syracuse After Hours, my university’s TV program. After graduating, I worked as an English teacher in Japan for three and half years. After returning to the United States, I started my own media company, Jon Allen Bridge Media, and my own comic line, Ignatius Comics, in Austin, TX. By starting the Bridges to Your Dreams Foundation, my brother and I hope to help students entering adulthood to avoid some of the financial pitfalls that befall so many young people and help jumpstart their educational journey.
Favorite Movies: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and The Hangover
Favorite Books: Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Favorite TV Shows: The Chosen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, X-Men: The Animated Series, The Boondocks
Favorite Music Artists: Skillet, Backwordz, Nightwish, Howard Shore
Favorite Quote: "Those that think that all virtue is to be found in only their own party principles push matters to extremes; They do not consider that disproportion destroy a state.” - Aristotle