As a small, local 501c3 nonprofit, The Bridge relies upon the support of our community.
The Bridge recruits, screens, trains, and places volunteers in the Melrose Public Schools. Volunteers of The Bridge enrich teaching and learning for students from preschool through high school. Our philosophy is that young people benefit greatly when community members contribute their time, talent, and expertise to assist public education.
We hope you will consider supporting The Bridge this year.
There are a number of ways you can help further our mission outlined below.
Sponsor one of our community events or join our Honor Roll
Join our “Honor Roll” with a donation of $100 or more.
Make a donation – every dollar helps!
Form a Trivia Bee team and join the fun on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Donate an item to our Bridge Bee Auction.
Event sponsorship
Learn more about event sponsorship opportunities
The Trivia Bee is our biggest fundraising event of the year; it is a fun-filled evening of competitive, team-based, pub-style trivia. Our 24th annual Bee will be on Saturday, March 29 at the Knights of Columbus.
Community Reading Day is the Melrose Public Schools way of participating in Read Across America. The event welcomes folks from around the community into our schools to read a story to a preschool or elementary class. In addition to reading the story, we ask the volunteers to talk a little about how they contribute to our community. 2025 Community Reading Day will be on March 4.
The Bridge’s Volunteer Appreciation event provides an opportunity for all Bridge volunteers to gather and celebrate our accomplishments as well as announce and recognize our annual Volunteer of the Year. The event will typically take place in April, which is National Volunteer Appreciation month.
Interested in sponsoring an event? We currently have Trivia Bee Gold sponsorships and the Volunteer Appreciation sponsorship available. If you are interested in a sponsorship that is limited, please also email Lisa Lewis at llewis@thebridgemelrose.org.
| Trivia Bee Platinum $2500 | Trivia Bee Gold $750 | Community Reading Day $1000 | Volunteer Appreciation $1000 | |
| Number available | 1 (SOLD OUT) | unlimited | 1 (SOLD OUT) | 1 |
| Logo displayed prominently during event | Large | Small | x | x |
| Logo displayed on virtual program | Large | Small | x | x |
| Recognition in all event promotion, press, and communications before and after event | x | x | x | x |
| Dedicated social media posts before/after event | 4+ posts | 3+ posts | 3+ posts | 3+ posts |
| Public acknowledgment during event | Throughout | x | x | x |
| Trivia Bee team sponsorship ($250 value) | x | x | n/a | n/a |
| Photo recognition following event | x | x | x | |
| Honor Roll recognition not already listed/exceeded above | President’s Honors | High Honors Benefits | President’s Honors | President’s Honors |
| Bridge events are widely advertised, before and after. The Trivia Bee is at the end of March, Community Reading Day is early March, and Volunteer Appreciation is mid April. | ||||
The Honor Roll
Learn more about the Honor Roll
Annual sponsorships are for the calendar year, and will run from January 1 through December 31.
If you join after September 1, we will automatically list you as a member for the year starting Jan 1 to ensure you get a full year of recognition (you may even get a little extra, as we’ll likely announce new supporters along with solicitations to join the Honor Roll).
All of these opportunities will showcase our sponsors to the whole community, including our roughly 4,000 person email list. Sponsoring The Bridge is an excellent way to tap into all Melrose Public Schools families as The Bridge serves all MPS students from preschool through high school.
| President’s Honors $500 | High Honors $250 | Honors $100 | |
| Tabletop signage at events* | Large font | Medium font | Small font |
| Mentioned in year in review / annual report | x | x | x |
| Name on Bridge Website | x | x | x |
| Logo/Name in Volunteer Newsletters | All | 2+ | End of year |
| Thank you/mention in print media | x | ||
| Thank you/mention in social media | Quarterly + 2 individual | Quarterly +1 individual | Quarterly |
| Link to business with name listing on Bridge website | x | ||
| *events not included in event sponsorships, such as the Victorian Fair, Farmer’s Market, etc. | |||
In addition to the attached sponsorship opportunities, you can also support The Bridge by forming a team and participating in the Trivia Bee or donating to our Bee Online Auction. If you are interested in forming a Trivia Bee team, event details and a registration form can be found here. The Bridge will also be running our highly successful Bee Online Auction in March, and would greatly appreciate any and all donations for the auction. If you are interested in making a donation, you can reach out to Lisa Lewis at llewis@thebridgemelrose.org, mail your donation to The Bridge at 350 Lynn Fells Parkway, Melrose MA 02176, or upload the item directly to our auction site at https://bscp.betterworld.org/donate-an-item.
You can also donate to The Bridge in any amount.
Where does the money go?
The vast majority of the funds raised by The Bridge are used to support the salary of The Bridge’s staff member. Having a staff person focused on volunteering ensures that it is easy to bring expertise and assistance into our schools.
These funds are granted to the Melrose Public Schools, which also provides a small portion of the salary, plus things like payroll services, an office space, and typical office supplies for The Bridge. Other donated dollars go toward a small budget for community activities such as the volunteer appreciation event, and a booth at the Victorian Fair, and our Chamber of Commerce membership.
An additional small amount of the money raised goes to administrative functions such as accounting services and Bridge specific supplies like volunteer badges.
Our annual Year in Review report to the Melrose School Committee gives an overview of our activities each year, and is an excellent way to learn more about our impact.
The Bridge 