Success Stories

Scott Zwiren began his college studies at Colgate University. After falling into a severe depression in his freshman year he came home to Brooklyn and finished his BFA at NYU in film production.

However, upon graduation, the depression, accompanied with mania, was the cause of a subway suicide attempt that took his right arm and right leg below the knee. After switching to the left hand and learning how to walk with a prosthesis, he was placed in Bridge housing in 1988. For the next 10 years he would continue hospital visits for what was sometimes 10 months of depression and 2 months of mania.

This decade is described in the book God Head published by Dalkey Archives Press that Zwiren wrote during a period when the mood swings were less severe. The title of the book refers to the psychosis that makes a person believe that they are somehow a divinity. The book won the Barnes and Nobles Discovery Award for an outstanding debut novel and was reviewed by the New York Times. Zwiren is one of the original members of the Bridge Artists Group and Poetry project. The Village Voice article on the group and the work done at MoMA led to Zwiren's self-portrait placed into the VSA calender 2008-2009 that was sponsored by the Kennedy Center and the N.Y.C. Mayoral office.

Zwiren says that there were times that the money earned by Bridge art shows was the only buffer against having no funds at all because of manic spending. He says that his progress can be depicted in two sentences. In one of the first Bridge art shows when asked to speak he simply said: "This is the first morning I was glad to get up." and now, "I have found a combination of words with picture projects that use all the disciplines I have studied. I can say I am finally doing what I set out to do 20 years ago and it is because The Bridge allowed me continual care and the time to do it."

Scott Zwiren: The Coop - Self Portrait in Blue

Marven Casseus came to The Bridge after choosing to take his life in a different direction, away from the rough streets. In August of 2011 he began coming to many of the groups The Bridge runs each day. He took part in Cognitive Behavioral Skills, Anger Management, Relapse Prevention, Early Sobriety Coping Skills and Healthy Relationships. These groups allow him to work on the life skills needed to follow his dream of becoming a pediatric nurse.

In early October, Marven got himself a tele-sales job and graduated with his GED. He is now looking into higher education with a focus in nursing. He loves socializing in his Bridge groups and taking part in movie day once a month. "I'm striving for greatness," Marven says. At only 20 years old, he has been an inspiration to all those who work with him at The Bridge for the positive choices he is making and his smart and witty nature.

Bridge client Robert Kaplan of 3 years is a distinguished member of The Bridge Group Artists. He created a painting of the Central Park Boathouse for the 57th Anniversary Partners in Caring Awards Dinner 2011. The theme of the night was "A Night in Venice." Dinner proceeds support the agency's broad range of services, including homeless housing initiatives for recent veterans, as well as the horticultural training program and urban farms. Here he tells his story of how he came to The Bridge and about how his journey with art and The Bridge have changed his life for the better.

Stacey Joel Van Rossum was born in Brooklyn, and came to The Bridge in 2004 after a brief stay at Bellevue Men’s Shelter in Manhattan. He started in The Bridge’s Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation Treatment Program (IPRT), which is now PROS, while attending Brooklyn College where he received a BA in History in 2007. While at The Bridge he also participated in the work stipend program, working in the computer room.