Bridges Child Enrichment Center to host anniversary carnival this weekend

APPLETON — Bridges Child Enrichment Center, formerly known as Project Bridges Daycare, is hosting a carnival Saturday in honor of its 50th anniversary.

The event is set for 3 to 7 p.m. at the Community Early Learning Center at 313 S. State St. in Appleton. The celebration will be outside, weather permitting, but moved inside if it rains. Not only will it feature classic carnival games like ring toss, it will also boast an inflatable obstacle course, book give-away and more. Former staff and alumni can enjoy photos and newspaper clippings of the center's history.

Food from Alpha Dogs food truck, snow cones and other treats will be available for purchase, but the activities are free. Families can also customize Bridges T-shirts, also available for purchase, using fabric markers.

Families can bid on roughly 50 themed baskets as part of a silent auction, and can also test their luck in a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds from these activities will go towards the center's Bridging the Gap initiative, an umbrella fund that will bolster the center's tuition assistance program, help get families the supplies they need and create a safety net for when staff are faced with unexpected expenses.

"We're hoping the Bridging the Gap fund will broaden the ways that we can help families," Bridges Executive Director Nicole Desten said.

To learn more about Bridges, visit bridgescec.org. To donate to the Bridging the Gap initiative, visit bit.ly/donateBridgingtheGap.

Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Bridges Child Enrichment Center to host anniversary carnival Aug. 24