Welcome to our FAQ post! (Frequently Asked Questions!)
Whenever I meet with visitors or donors, I’m often asked the same few questions, and I’m genuinely happy for your interest and support.
Here are the questions that I am MOST OFTEN asked by supporters, donors, and members of the community about Bahamas Children’s Mission (BCM).
——————
WHAT DOES BCM DO FOR THE CHILDREN HERE IN EXUMA?
At Bahamas Children’s Mission, which my husband and I have been building since 2018, our core mission is simple:
To provide FREE support to children in Exuma, in three key areas:
- Literacy and Reading Intervention— with a special emphasis on evidence-based methods that are easy to implement and rapidly effective, especially for children with dyslexia and other reading struggles.
- Swim Lessons and Water Safety — Living in the Bahamas means water is everywhere around us, and is part of our daily lives. It’s been reported that 70-80% of Bahamians haven’t learned to swim. So, we teach essential skills in water safety and basic swim strokes.
- Healthy Snacks and Meals — Whenever I am with the children I provide nutritious food or snacks because hungry children can’t focus or learn effectively. A simple snack or meal can make all the difference in helping kids stay energized and just knowing that someone cares that they might be hungry gives them a lift.
- BONUS area of support: Giving out donated items that supporters give to BCM—-anything from clothes, toys, crafts, shoes, school supplies, household goods—we have ZERO place to store these items so we give them out VERY quickly–though we don’t want to add that service to our already full plate, we are happy to give away whatever we are blessed to receive.
WHAT DOES BCM NEED RIGHT NOW?
Because of a recent shipment of hurricane relief supplies, (which was an unexpected yet wonderful blessing from an amazing charity partner — we are setting them aside and we PRAY we won’t need them for hurricane season, but we are in desperate need of a small storage space.) We are currently stuck renting a storage unit here at the cost of $260 per month, but we would MUCH rather find something for free as we always want to steward our limited funds wisely – BONUS if there is room for a small desk space, where we could use as a tutoring space..
- An OUTSIDE, beachfront space for Summer Camp…Believe me, if you could see the PURE JOY on the children’s faces, and how they LIGHT UP when they are at the beach here, you would understand that my first item on the NEEDS LIST, is NOT a frivolous one:
For our summer reading program (which is about 2-ish weeks in July or early August), I am seeking a place where we can use the OUTSIDE SPACE ONLY, of a pool home on the beach here, for our learning time with ONLY 2-3 children at a time/(they will attend in time slots), for ONLY 3-ish hours per day. The reason we would ONLY need to use the outside space, for tutoring and swim lessons, is so that both goals can be accomplished at the same time period. MY DREAM is to treat the kids the most EPIC JOYFUL summer learning experience ever! We would work on reading skills for a bit at a picnic table, and then have swim lessons right afterwards, in the pool or in the ocean water if it’s calm. The children would be thrilled with this DREAMY beautiful beach/pool setting — and it means would be HIGHLY motivated to learn both reading and swimming at the same time! (and of course we would leave it spotless each day and sign a liability waiver)
2. For small items that are suitcase or boat friendly, the items we need are listed on our Amazon Wishlist, located here.
3. Soon, our mini-free lending libraries will be all over the island, (thanks to a recent grant request and award!) so we will need used children’s books to keep them stocked up.
4. Donated funds for projects, crafts, snacks and special outings or treats for the children we serve. If you’d like to help, here is an easy way to do so! Thank you!
Feel free to message me if you have other ideas or questions.
ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO HELP CHILDREN WITH READING?
Yes! I am so excited to utilize my skillset to help the child here for FREE! I’m a Literacy Specialist with over 20 years of experience in K-12 education, teaching children with reading difficulties and dyslexia. I am an EBLI Certified Practitioner, and I’m also trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach, at the Associate and Classroom Educator level. I’m a certified Dyslexia Advocate, I have a Masters in Education with a minor in linguistics, as well as a Reading Endorsement and worked for many years in Florida schools as a Reading Coach. I’ve been lucky enough to have taught EVERY grade (whew!) from kindergarten through 12th grade, for nearly three decades, working directly with thousands of students from many backgrounds and socio-economic levels. My teaching background varies from traveling the world as a private governess, to working as a volunteer reading tutor in my Florida community, and here in Exuma, and in nearly every school setting in between!
My experience includes in-depth training in supporting readers with challenges, such as dyslexia, or simply those in need of advancing their reading skills with less complex reading issues, like fluency and reading stamina. My focus is on structured evidence-based literacy interventions. Last year, I was blessed to be nominated for a Global Dyslexia Award, recognizing my work in this field.
This goal of helping children unlock the joys of reading, especially those who face challenges like dyslexia, is what keeps me motivated to help every child within my reach.
WHAT IS THE BCM YEARLY BUDGET?
While many charities need to raise funds each year for their 5- and even 6-figure funding budgets, we are proud of being humble & careful stewards–and making the most of our donations & budget! 🙂
—————-
HOW MANY STAFF MEMBERS DOES BCM HAVE?
There’s only me — and my dear husband – a retired military officer, who often helps with SO many tasks and logistics –and he provides a huge level of background support for everything we do! (+ he’s great with the kids & w/ our MATH/SCIENCE tutoring needs because of his engineering background.)
For the Summer Reading Program, we sometimes have 1-2 trusted volunteers help us. Also, I am ALWAYS training and enlisting the help of the kids, so that they learn how the mission works, how we get shipments, donor relations and donations, how to process customs paperwork, how to work with our valuable community partners, and especially how to give swim lessons and provide reading tutoring! I pray that one day, one of the children will step up and take over the mission from me, they’re inspiration for all this work and it will be theirs to build up and help even more children someday soon!
——————-
ARE YOU PAID/DO YOU TAKE A SALARY FOR THIS WORK?
No, I am a volunteer and receive no compensation or salary for my work at BCM. I do this work as a volunteer because it’s my way of giving back for all the wonder and joy that Exuma life brings.
You can be confident in knowing that every bit of support we receive goes straight to the costs of serving the children– and we provide everything for free – the specialized reading intervention, the books, healthy snacks, and swim lessons.
What sets BCM apart is our unwavering commitment to zero cost for families and children. We charge nothing—no fees for tutoring, no tuition for camps, no costs for books, swim instruction, or food. Every program runs entirely on donations from generous supporters, combined with contributions from our own personal resources to fill any gaps.
EVERY DAY, my mission goals are to:
-BE USEFUL & ADD VALUE TO THE WORLD
-DO WORK THAT HONORS GOD
-MAKE SOMEONE’s LIFE A LITTLE BIT BETTER
Sounds corny, yes, but the small but meaningful successes I’ve witnessed here, motivate me to keep trying my best:
–a struggling reader who now excels in school & attends a private school on a scholarship
-a child with dyslexia who reads a full page aloud (with a smile!),
-a young student confidently floating in the water instead of fearing it,
-a group of kids sharing laughs over a healthy snack after an engaging lesson.
While many organizations charge for services, or rely on large scale funding-–our mom & pop model might seem outdated or quaint, but it’s by purpose & intention. By staying small, flexible, and fully volunteer- & donation-driven, I can ensure that our help reaches the children who need it most, without staff salaries to fill, bureaucracies, committees, endless meetings and other cumbersome barriers.
WHERE IS THE MISSION LOCATED?
Our work happens right where the children are—delivering free literacy tutoring in the island’s schools, and teaching essential swim lessons and water safety directly at local donated pools and child-safe beaches across Exuma.
This hands-on, community-based approach lets me reach kids in schools, mostly, and other places that are easiest for them and their parents to get to, (many don’t have a car). But mostly, I tutor at their schools, at local beaches that have a gazebo, (& even truck tutoring!), so that I can maximize impact and keep costs to a minimum — by not having to pay rent on a mission office somewhere.
That said, we’re in desperate need of a small, dedicated storage space for our growing collection of hurricane relief supplies, books (to stock our BRAND NEW mini-free library project-woohoo!), tutoring materials, puzzles, swim equipment, and supplies for healthy snacks/meals—plus, it would be a TREMENDOUS help to have a VERY SMALL & simple tutoring room where we can offer quiet, one-on-one & small-group sessions year-round without relying solely on borrowed/rented spaces.
(Previously, we had a tutoring & storage space at a local community resource center, but another group needed it so we ended up having to vacate.)
If you’re inspired to help with this need (through donations toward rent, a donated space, or other helpful ideas), we’d be incredibly grateful—your support would help us serve even more Bahamian children safely and effectively! 🦩❤️🇧🇸
CAN I VOLUNTEER TO HELP?
YES! We are so grateful for your offer to support the children we serve. Here’s how you can help:
We often need donated items brought to us, if you are willing to bring them by suitcase, boat or plane, just reach out to me and see if we have a need at that time. That said, there are so many other NO COST wonderful ways your support can make a real difference!
Here are some fun, low-pressure ideas for fundraising events that have worked well for other charities:
- Yard sale or community garage sale — donate all proceeds to BCM. It’s a great spring or fall activity, often turns into a social day, and helps declutter while raising funds for books, snacks, or swim gear.
- Ladies’ night — Host a relaxed evening with wine, light appetizers, games, or a simple craft & charge a small ticket fee or encourage donations—perfect for building community and raising money in a fun setting.
- Seasonal parties — An EASTER egg hunt, a summer luau/poolside gathering, fall harvest potluck, holiday cookie exchange, or spring garden party. Add a small entry donation, raffle prizes (gifted by local businesses), or a “donate what you’d spend on a gift” with those collected funds going to BCM from the host/hostess.
- Happy hour or casual networking event — Partner with a café, or restaurant for a “give-back” happy hour where a portion of sales (or a suggested donation at the door) goes to the mission.
And any of these can ALSO be hosted at your home, a community venue, or even virtually (like an online auction or trivia night). Every dollar raised goes directly to free literacy support, water safety lessons, and healthy snacks for Bahamian children.
Your creativity and generosity mean so much—thank you again for wanting to be part of this work! Please let us know if one of these ideas sparks interest, or if you have another way in mind—we’d love to brainstorm together!
(For the safety of the children we serve, we aren’t able to bring on volunteers to work directly with the kids at this time.)
————————————
Many of you often send messages or tell me in person that you appreciate the mission’s work. Please know that your kind words of encouragement mean the world to me. They fuel me to keep going and keep finding more (& more effective) ways to serve the children here! If you have more questions, please feel free to email me anytime. BCMExuma@gmail.com
With gratitude & hope for even brighter futures,
Bridget Creech, M. Ed. Literacy Specialist & Founder, Bahamas Children’s Mission
