The mission of Community Bridges (CB) is to empower girls from diverse backgrounds to become exceptional students, positive leaders, and healthy young women. With a visition to break the cycle of poverty, Community Bridges was founded in 1997 to address the specific challenge of girls living in poverty engaging in, at alarming rates, at-risk behaviors including but not limited to, teen pregnancy, gang involvement, and bullying. What began as a youth development organization committed to meeting the needs of underserved low-income and immigrant middle school youth in the Long Branch community of East Silver Spring through leadership and empowerment programming has blossomed into an organization serving elementary through high school aged girls and their families. Since its founding, CB has helped empower almost 2,500 girls and 2,000 parents in Montgomery County, Maryland. Program goals and themes include: Pride in Identity; Confidence In Self; Healthy Relationships; Servant Leadership; Effective Career Mapping; Commitment to Cycle-Breaking. Programs offered: CB Girls Program (Grades 4-12); CB Family Institute (Parents of girls in programs); CB Mentoring; and CB College and Career Planning.