About
History
Bridge to the Future – Rites of Passage (ROP), formerly known as Rites of Passage, was founded in 2000 under the leadership of the late Rev. James E. Coffee, Pastor of the Community Baptist Church along with Ms. Shirley Gordon, then a church member and a State Farm executive in Santa Rosa. The vision of the program was to provide a multicultural experience for youth ages 14-18 in Sonoma County. It was designed to engage trusted and venerable community leaders (elders) to serve as role models, passing on the principles of self-awareness, purpose, and responsibility. Since the organization’s inception over 20 years ago, more than 325 students have completed the program.
ROP has delivered a consistent, yet contemporary curriculum that includes lifestyle skills, career awareness, cultural awareness, team building, self-esteem, mental and physical wellbeing, and communication. The Rites of Passage program is not faith-based, but a multicultural program open to all local youth.
Board of Directors
Shirley Gordon
Past President / Co-Founder
Bobbie Denmon
President
Chris Smith
Secretary
Tony Maestri
Treasurer
Steering Committee
Vivian Coffee
Co-Chair
Harriet Gray
Co-Chair
Roxanne Bradley
Lynn Silva
Honor Jackson
Marie Grimes
Susan Saludes
Trina Stanford
Advisory Committee
- Carolyn Lee
I am a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner for Seneca, a Bay Area-based non-profit providing care for pediatric populations in CA and WA. I am the Assistant Director of Nursing and I’m on the COVID-19 Response Team, leading nurses and nurse practitioners in an agency of over 1500 employees through the current pandemic. I have also served as a board member for the Bay Area Black Nurses Association, a local chapter of the esteemed National Black Nurses Association. I earned a Masters of Science in Nursing from Holy Names University, a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Samuel Merritt University, and a Bachelors of Science in Human Development from UC Davis. I am a true public health nurse at heart, a mom of three (2 y.o., 4 y.o., and a 6 y.o.), and a proud graduate of the Bridge to the Future Rites of Passage Class of 2002.