BRIDGEPORT, CT – LifeBridge Community Services dedicated the Music Room in its Center for Youth Development to Brendan Miles of Southport. The dedication is in recognition of a $180,000 gift from Brendan and Carolyn Miles’ daughter, Molly Miles. The amount represents half of the proceeds from the sale of a vintage Ferrari the couple gifted to their daughter. Molly decided to donate the proceeds to LifeBridge in recognition of her father who had been Board Chair and now serves on the Board.
Funds will support the Urban Scholars Program which provides educational and enrichment opportunities for youth ages 11 to 14 in Bridgeport. Music is one of the enrichment activities and Urban Scholars are offered their choice of guitar, percussion and/or piano instruction free of charge taught by professional musicians. To commemorate this special event, jazz great “Blue” Lou Marini performed with Urban Scholars instructors, John Cutrone, Tim DeHuff and David Oliver as a special tribute to Molly’s father.
Molly, 19, is currently in her second semester at American University in Washington, DC. With the sale of the car, Molly wanted to do something significant regarding LifeBridge, knowing how dedicated both her parents, and especially her father, are to the organization which serves thousands of Bridgeport residents each year. It was her decision to donate half the proceeds to LifeBridge in support of the Urban Scholars Program in keeping with her own desire to help other young people. The other half of the proceeds will go to a program at Save the Children on gender equity and reducing child marriage in Sierra Leone as Molly wanted to do both a local and global gift to help kids.
“It’s important to me that all kids get the opportunities they deserve,” said Molly Miles. “I am honored to support the Urban Scholars Program, which gives middle schoolers in Bridgeport those opportunities.”
“We wanted to recognize this extraordinary gift from Molly in a meaningful way,” said LifeBridge President & CEO Alan Mathis. “Dedication of the Music Room will provide a lasting way to honor Molly’s generosity and altruism and the leadership of her father, Brendan Miles. We are extremely proud of Molly and wanted to say thank you for having such a huge heart for helping others.”
“We strongly believe kids can be a huge catalyst for change and are proud to have Molly make this important gift,” said Molly’s parents Brendan and Carolyn Miles. “The Urban Scholars initiative will help children and their families get through the critical middle school years and fulfill their highest potential.”
The agency’s flagship youth program is The Urban Scholars, which is part of the Center for Youth Development. The program provides an after-school program during the school year and an all-day summer camp in July and August.
About LifeBridge:
LifeBridge’s mission is to partner with Bridgeport’s youth and families to build resilience. LifeBridge believes in the unlimited potential of every child and family in Bridgeport. By providing a helping hand up through opportunities that have lasting impact, LifeBridge offers a combination of behavioral health services, youth development, and asset-building resources that enables families to thrive and live safely and securely in their neighborhoods.