Our Programs
Mentoring
Mentoring newcomer families is the core of what BPB does. Mentors build long term relationships with newcomers and provide them with helpful guidance to services and tools that families need to move from surviving to thriving. Each newcomer family is matched with a team of trained mentors for up to five years.
Alongside regular check-ins from our Family Support Manager and Case Worker, mentors help families strengthen their English, find employment, manage financial responsibilities, and navigate housing, education, transportation, and public systems. Volunteer tutors also assist youth with their academics and discuss their own challenges in adjusting to their new home and culture.
Mentors also join in life milestones from birthdays to graduations. They’re supported by a wider volunteer network that organizes cultural events like our annual Iftar Dinner or Family Fun Day, coordinates donations, and helps to amplify newcomer voices.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship through housing and material assistance are also central to our work. The goal of sponsorship is for families to be able to focus on building up their skills and resources in the first few years after their arrival as BPB helps support their basic needs. We provide temporary rent and moving support, along with rent guarantees that help families without an established U.S. credit history secure housing. Funds can also be used towards furthering education for both adults and youth, food assistance, driving school, extracurricular activities, and more.
Bridge to Belongings
We collect and distribute clothing, furniture, and household items that our families can use immediately. These needs vary throughout the year and when new families join our program. Therefore, we may not be able to accept every type of in-kind donation. Please reach out to us in advance if you have items to donate or are interested in hosting a specific drive for BPB families.
Educational Programs
We foster understanding and support for newcomers through educational programs that bring long-term residents and newcomers together. These initiatives help build informed and welcoming communities throughout the North Shore and beyond. Recent events include:
- Learning Luncheons bring expert voices directly to our community. In May 2024, a luncheon featured an Urban Institute report that showed that Chicago’s collaborative approach among nonprofits helped families secure housing 40% faster than in other cities.
- The Reading Refuge Book Club explores migration and belonging through author-led discussions. Last year’s speakers included Wharton Professor Zeke Hernandez, who shared research showing immigrants’ contributions to innovation, and author Stephanie Saldaña, who explored how refugees maintain cultural identity while building new lives.
- Community presentations at venues including the Glenview Women’s Club, the Glenview Public Library, Kenilworth Union Church, and the Rotary Club of Wilmette let BPB leaders share both organizational impact and personal stories, such as co-founder Ahlam (Al-Jebory) Mahmood’s own refugee experience.
- Multimedia storytelling keeps our community informed and engaged through multiple channels. We share our impact through regular newsletters, impact reports, and more. We’ve also created videos that share newcomers’ stories, such as “Dreams.”
Advocacy
Beyond direct service and community education, BPB advocates for policy changes that remove systemic barriers facing newcomer families.
We have multiple coalition partners, including the Refugee Action Network, AfghanEvac, Church World Services, Refugee Council USA, and the International Refugee Assistance Project. We have supported:
- Passing of the Afghan Adjustment Act
- Extending humanitarian parole status
- Increasing affordable housing
- Expediting work authorization processes
A Call for Dignity, Justice, and Compassion
Building Peaceful Bridges stands steadfast with our faith partners and local and national alliances in our shared commitment to protect the dignity, safety, and human rights of all people navigating the challenges of migration and integration.
Recent events underscore this urgent need: the tragic killings of Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, neighbor, and community member in Minneapolis, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the VA Medical Center, highlight the necessity for a humane, accountable, and just approach to immigration policy and public safety.
The current climate of intensified enforcement and public concern demands principled action. Thank you to all who stand firm to support newcomers and are willing to answer this call.
Building Peaceful Bridges affirms:
The right to peaceful protest and civic engagement within our communities.
BPB supports efforts to educate the public about their rights to assemble peacefully and to advocate for justice while denouncing violence of any kind. We continue to provide up-to-date information for newcomers and allies on their legal protections during immigration enforcement encounters and how to safely participate in peaceful demonstrations.
The protection of civil and human rights for newcomers and all community members.
Fear and mistrust grow when communities witness unaccountable use of force by government agents. BPB will collaborate with legal advocates to push for transparency, independent investigations, and accountability in cases of excessive force or rights violations.
Strengthened legal support and education.
BPB is expanding our network of legal resources to connect family members with pro bono legal services, rapid guidance, and referrals when families face enforcement actions.
Advocacy for accountable and humane immigration policy.
BPB will continue to work with coalition partners to push for meaningful policy reforms that balance public safety with respect for human rights, including independent oversight of federal enforcement actions and protections against unjustified use of force.
Community resilience and integration.
We support programs that increase trust between law enforcement and newcomers and that build bridges across diverse communities to foster shared understanding and solidarity. Through storytelling, digital advocacy, and public forums, we amplify the voices of newcomers and impacted families to inform public understanding and shape policy—highlighting challenges while advancing inclusive community solutions.
BPB embraces our newcomer families in this time of crisis and seeks to provide sufficient resources for each of them, including food and rent support, educational assistance, transportation, and, most important of all, moral support.
We are all family.
Thank you to all our bridge builders and donors. Let’s work together.
