BRINGING GENERATIONS TOGETHER

Bessie's Hope (formerly Rainbow Bridge) began with a spiritual vision received by one of the co-founders. She heard a distinct voice repeating, "Bring them together, the young and the old", and she saw what was to become the work of Bessie's Hope. Inspired by her grandmother's tragic nursing home experience and by the loneliness she observed in nursing homes, Linda Holloway, and co-founders, Sharron Brandrup and Marge Utne, worked to create an organization that would bring community awareness and participation into nursing homes. Sharron and Linda began taking groups of children to visit nursing home residents in 1989. Evidence of the life-transforming benefit to both populations led to the formation of a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 1993. In the summer of 1994, Linda's and Sharron's original musical entitled "Rainbow Bridge, an Intergenerational Musical" was produced at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. It attracted tremendous media attention, both locally and nationally. In the fall of 1994, the Rainbow Bridge volunteer programs were officially begun.