♡ Book Drive – 8/2024-7/2025
Our goal is to collect another 5,000 books to help low-income families build home libraries as well as provide resources for expanding and replenishing existing libraries. As our organization continues to expand and our operations grow larger, we realized that the initial 15,000 books we raised through our first five book drives is not sufficient.
♡ The Little Reader’s Program – 8/2024-7/2025
Our organization has a long and dedicated partnership with the Legacy Community Health Center, an accredited Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that drives healthy change in our communities. As a full-service non-profit, Legacy identifies unmet needs and gaps in health-related services and develops client-centered programs to address those needs. With 11 current locations and expanding, Legacy provides the much needed healthcare for underserved communities, including but not limited to pediatrics, vaccinations, HIV/AIDS care, dental and vision services, and adult primary care. On top of that, Legacy has a Little Readers program which gives back to the children of our communities by providing free books and other educational toys and services to help these students learn and grow. Because Legacy blends both health and education goals in one, we believe that it is the perfect organization to support.
Throughout our partnership, we as an organization have volunteered to read, teach, and entertain kids at their centers multiple times, and we have also made various small contributions of books and money. However, we knew we could do more. In the past 5 years, we pulled together and donated $25,000 dollars to Legacy Community Health in order to support their Little Readers Program. In June of 2025, we plan to donate another $5,000 to further promote literacy for children. Ever since, we have seen the program only grow and expand to new heights, and we only hope to do more.
We will continue to be partners with the Legacy Community Health Center and help assist those in need. The Little Reader’s Program they have truly exemplifies what we stand for, and we hope that we will have the volunteers, books, and money to help contribute to the program’s growth and success in all of Legacy’s locations. This way, more underprivileged kids will have access to the resources they need to succeed in the future.
♡ The BestBridgeToHeart Scholarship Program – 4/2025
At BestBridgeToHeart, we are dedicated to nurturing education, learning, and growth within our communities. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, BestBridgeToHeart launched an achievement-based scholarship program at Olga Leonard Elementary School in Houston. Students who achieve academic success by maintaining grades of B- or higher, reading 50 or more books annually, and submitting a short response to a designated prompt, will receive $50 gift cards. Additionally, they will receive recognition and support from our organization during the 2024-2025 school year. BestBridgeToHeart aims for this scholarship program to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young children, fostering their educational journey and empowering them to pursue their dreams.
♡ E–library – 8/2024-7/2025
Another one of our plans is to provide the online resources for students in need to be able to bring their education to the next level. Partnering with the Fort Bend Cares Center, we have already donated upwards of $3,500 to support 100 students to be able to install the Learning Upgrade® application, which allows students to learn critical subjects such as English and Mathematics anywhere they go. The Learning Upgrade® app has been shown to provide breakthrough growth by offering free access to 900+ lessons, giving 21 courses from kinder to adult, and providing personalized assessment reports and help for special needs. In this way, students will be able to learn at their own pace and develop the skills to pursue higher education. In 2024-2025, we plan on supporting more students in their pursuit of education with installing and setting-up the app.
♡ Reading Libraries – 8/2024-7/2025
We want to increase the number of Reading Rooms we have. Our first was at the Bunker Hill apartment complex, and we believe that we can continue to expand to 2-3 more and truly serve the community through increased involvement at these libraries. Inspired by Legacy’s commitment to healthcare, these Reading Rooms could also be centers for events where we not only read to students, but also teach them about physical fitness, health, dental care, and various school subjects. We have already began constructing libraries at HuaXia Chinese School, the Airline Community of Great Houston, and various doctor and dentists' offices, and we now have volunteers go read to students and teach them about scientific topics every Friday to help these children thrive in the future.
♡ HuaXia Learning – 8/2024-7/2025
BestBridgeToHeart cooperates with HuaXia School, providing ELA, Social Studies, and Science classes in person and virtual. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the online classes were a transition from the in-person volunteering reading and teaching classes we previously have done at HuaXia School. We are excited for this opportunity to continue supporting children's education.
♡ Book Events – 6/2025
In June of 2025, BestBridgeToHeart will hold a book event with Legacy Community Health to support young children in need. On top of donating hundreds of books, notebooks, markers, and crayons, we will read books, teach, and play games with the little children, interacting in Spanish and English. At the end of the day, the children will be able to return home with new and high-quality school supplies as well as books to read. In the past, we have held multiple reading events with Legacy Community Health, including one on December 26, 2019, to commemorate the opening of their new building.
♡ PLE online training – 3/2020-7/2022
BestBridgeToHeart partners with Princeton Learning Experience, a non-profit organization based in New Jersey, to provide free and easily accessible online courses over English and Science Olympiad. Members of our organizations started month-long classes designed to help students wtihin and outside the United States to ensure they have access to supplementary education resources during the COVID-19 pandemic to learn about essential skills needed in their future.
♡ COVID-19 Care Act – 4/2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of BestBridgeToHeart's activities and planned events were unfortunately cancelled or postponed. However, with our leftover resources, BestBridgeToHeart purchased and donated 4,000 medical masks to hospitals, clinics, and fire stations throughout the Greater Houston area. These frontline workers have put their lives on the line to make our communities safe, and we feel it is important to honor their hard work and sacrifice as well as help them stay safe during these uncertain times.