RE ACHING OUT
Creating Balance
NewBridge Services Inc. provides counseling,
housing and education to area residents in need
26
WAYNE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
MARGARET McHUGH
WITH MARIANNE WILLIAMS
parent/child issues, unfortunate
community losses, sudden death and
marriage issues,” Parker continues.
According to Margaret McHugh, a
spokesperson for NewBridge, “We
have emerged as an incredible
resource for people through every
stage of life. NewBridge helps children learn how to navigate their
world and young adults to find
direction. It helps people dealing with
addiction and/or mental illness to
recover. It provides psychological first
aid to people affected by natural
disasters. We provide support and
respite to caregivers, and connect
seniors with services so they can
remain in their homes. NewBridge
provides homes for people with
special needs, and gives them the
support they need to live as
independently as possible.”
Marianne Williams, a senior from
Butler who benefits from NewBridge
SAIL (Senior Assistance for
Independent Living) is grateful for
the help she’s been given to maintain
an independent life in her own home.
NewBridge representatives visit
Williams and help her with planning.
“They assist me with getting the care
I need at little or no cost,” she
explains.
NewBridge helps improve people’s
lives with support from grants, third
party insurances and philanthropic
support. For more information,
contact NewBridge Services
(640 Newark Pompton Turnpike,
Pompton Plains) at 973-839-2520. ■
COURTESY OF NEWBRIDGE SERVIES, INC.
F
or more than 50 years,
NewBridge Services, Inc.
of Pompton Plains has
been helping people
establish balance in their
lives. Founded in 1963 in
Pompton Plains by a church pastor, a
physician, a municipal judge and a
handful of volunteers, this nonprofit
organization aims to meet the counseling needs of those struggling to
cope with the demands of everyday
life.
From its meager beginnings in
a small office with a part-time psychologist and a part-time secretary,
NewBridge has grown along with
new demands for educational programs and affordable housing services. Robert Parker, the organization’s
full-time CEO for 20 years, explains,
“We listen closely to community
needs, and develop programs in
response to those needs,” he says.
Among the services being offered are
in-home counseling, a young-adult
program for those who dropped out
of school, and an in-school personal
resilience-building program to help
students resist peer pressure and
drugs. “And, we empower kids to
do what they need to do to protect
themselves, regarding suicide and
abuse,” adds Parker.
NewBridge advocates partnerships
between nonprofits, municipalities
and government agencies to maximize its programs’ benefits and to
end the stigma of mental illness. It
provides counseling during times
of community crisis, works with
churches to help people deal with
stress, and partners with local government to build affordable housing.
“We’re helping people get over the
struggles many of us face at some
point in our lives: loss of loved ones,
WRITTEN BY CAROL BOTT JARGER