https://breakingbarriersmentoring.org/about

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1<meta name="twitter:title" content="Our Story — Breaking Barriers Mentoring"><meta name="twitter:description" content="How Breaking Barriers Mentoring began and where the work stands today."><meta property="og:image" content="https://pub-bb2e103a32db4e198524a2e9ed8f35b4.r2.dev/lovp_1jtmx30q1z9wvaanpptn93g08h/a8913928979119f66b1c23db54aab1d7_1790118069956.png"><meta name="twitter:image" content="https://pub-bb2e103a32db4e198524a2e9ed8f35b4.r2.dev/lovp_1jtmx30q1z9wvaanpptn93g08h/a8913928979119f66b1c23db54aab1d7_1790118069956.png"></head><body><div class="flex min-h-screen flex-col"><header class="sticky top-0 z-50 surface-hero text-charcoal-foreground shadow-card"><a href="#main" class="sr-only focus:not-sr-only focus:absolute focus:left-4 focus:top-4 focus:rounded-md focus:bg-gold focus:px-3 focus:py-2 focus:text-gold-foreground">Skip to main content</a><div class="mx-auto flex w-full max-w-6xl items-center gap-4 px-5 py-3.5 sm:px-8"><a href="/" class="flex items-center gap-3"><span class="overflow-hidden rounded-md"><img src="/__l5e/assets-v1/1df61de4-1c08-48de-ab3a-a830a3a6b779/bbmi-crest.png" alt="Breaking Barriers Mentoring logo" class="h-12 w-auto sm:h-14" width="540" height="352"/></span><span class="sr-only">Breaking Barriers Mentoring</span><span class="hidden text-[11px] uppercase leading-tight tracking-[0.18em] text-cream/70 sm:block">Milwaukee, Wisconsin</span></a><nav aria-label="Primary" class="ml-auto hidden items-center gap-1 lg:flex"><a class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream bg-cream/15 text-cream" href="/about" data-status="active" aria-current="page">About</a><a href="/programs" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Programs</a><a href="/locations" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Locations</a><a href="/impact" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Impact</a><a href="/events" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Events</a><a href="/get-involved" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Get Involved</a><a href="/resources" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Resources</a><a href="/contact" class="rounded-md px-2.5 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-cream/85 transition-colors hover:bg-cream/10 hover:text-cream">Contact</a></nav><div class="ml-auto flex items-center gap-2 lg:ml-0"><button type="button" aria-label="Language: Español" class="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border px-2.5 py-1.5 text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider transition-colors border-cream/25 text-cream hover:bg-cream/10"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-globe h-3.5 w-3.5" aria-hidden="true"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"></circle><path d="M12 2a14.5 14.5 0 0 0 0 20 14.5 14.5 0 0 0 0-20"></path><path d="M2 12h20"></path></svg>ES</button><a href="/donate" class="items-center justify-center gap-2 whitespace-nowrap font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-1 focus-visible:ring-ring disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50 [&amp;_svg]:pointer-events-none [&amp;_svg]:size-4 [&amp;_svg]:shrink-0 shadow h-8 rounded-md px-3 text-xs hidden bg-gold text-gold-foreground hover:bg-gold/90 sm:inline-flex">Donate</a><button type="button" class="inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-cream/25 p-2 text-cream lg:hidden" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Menu"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-menu h-5 w-5" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M4 5h16"></path><path d="M4 12h16"></path><path d="M4 19h16"></path></svg></button></div></div></header><main id="main" class="flex-1"><!--$--><header class="surface-hero text-charcoal-foreground"><div class="mx-auto w-full max-w-6xl px-5 py-16 sm:px-8 sm:py-24"><p class="font-display text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-[0.2em] text-gold">About</p><h1 class="mt-3 max-w-3xl text-4xl font-bold leading-tight sm:text-5xl">Our story</h1>

1<div class="barrier-rule mt-6 h-1.5 w-28"></div><p class="mt-6 max-w-2xl text-lg leading-relaxed text-cream/85">Our mission is to educate, uplift, and empower children and families impacted by the systemic barriers of poverty, incarceration, and cultural bias.</p></div></header><section class="py-16 sm:py-20 bg-background text-foreground"><div class="mx-auto w-full max-w-6xl px-5 sm:px-8"><div class="max-w-3xl"><h2 class="mt-3 text-3xl font-bold sm:text-4xl">How we got here</h2><div class="barrier-rule mt-5 h-1.5 w-24"></div></div><ol class="mt-10 space-y-6 border-l border-border pl-6"><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">2013</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Breaking Barriers Mentoring is founded in Madison, Wisconsin.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Early years</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Peer counseling and one-to-one mentoring take root.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Growth</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Youth leadership and school engagement work expands.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Madison</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Community violence-prevention work begins in Madison.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Kenosha</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Community work extends to Kenosha.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Milwaukee</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">The organization expands into Milwaukee.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Youth Be Well</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Wellness programming launches for young people.</p></li><li class="relative"><span class="absolute -left-[31px] top-2 h-2.5 w-2.5 rounded-full bg-gold" aria-hidden="true"></span><h3 class="font-display text-lg font-bold">Today</h3><p class="mt-1 text-muted-foreground">Mentoring, outreach, wellness, and opportunity initiatives continue across Wisconsin.</p></li></ol></div></section><section class="py-16 sm:py-20 bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground"><div class="mx-auto w-full max-w-6xl px-5 sm:px-8"><div class="max-w-3xl"><h2 class="mt-3 text-3xl font-bold sm:text-4xl">Our values</h2><div class="barrier-rule mt-5 h-1.5 w-24"></div></div><ul class="mt-8 flex flex-wrap gap-3"><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Dignity</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Accountability</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Community</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Lived Experience</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Compassion</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Leadership</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Opportunity</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Restoration</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Collaboration</li><li class="rounded-full border border-border bg-card px-4 py-2 font-display text-sm font-semibold">Equity</li></ul><div class="max-w-3xl space-y-5 text-lg leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground mt-10"><p>We are a community-led organization. The people who guide this work are neighbors, parents, mentors, and people who have moved through the criminal legal system themselves.</p></div></div></section>

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1<!--/$--></main><footer class="surface-hero text-charcoal-foreground"><div class="mx-auto w-full max-w-6xl px-5 py-14 sm:px-8"><div class="grid gap-10 lg:grid-cols-[1.3fr_repeat(3,1fr)]"><div><div class="flex items-center gap-3"><span class="inline-block overflow-hidden rounded-md"><img src="/__l5e/assets-v1/1df61de4-1c08-48de-ab3a-a830a3a6b779/bbmi-crest.png" alt="Breaking Barriers Mentoring logo" class="h-24 w-auto" loading="lazy" width="540" height="352"/></span><span class="sr-only">Breaking Barriers Mentoring</span></div><p class="mt-4 text-sm leading-relaxed text-cream/75">Our mission is to educate, uplift, and empower children and families impacted by the systemic barriers of poverty, incarceration, and cultural bias.</p><address class="mt-5 not-italic text-sm text-cream/75"><span class="block font-semibold text-cream">Mailing Address</span>8634 W Brown Deer Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53224<br/><a class="underline hover:text-gold" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></address></div><nav aria-label="About"><h2 class="font-display text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-gold">About</h2><ul class="mt-4 space-y-2.5"><li><a class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline active" href="/about" data-status="active" aria-current="page">Our Story</a></li><li><a href="/mission" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Mission and Approach</a></li><li><a href="/leadership" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Leadership and Board</a></li><li><a href="/nonprofit-information" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Public Nonprofit Information</a></li><li><a href="/financial-transparency" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Financial Transparency</a></li></ul></nav><nav aria-label="Programs"><h2 class="font-display text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-gold">Programs</h2><ul class="mt-4 space-y-2.5"><li><a href="/programs" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Programs</a></li><li><a href="/locations" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Locations</a></li><li><a href="/impact" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Impact</a></li><li><a href="/events" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Events</a></li><li><a href="/resources" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Resources</a></li></ul></nav><nav aria-label="Get Involved"><h2 class="font-display text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-gold">Get Involved</h2><ul class="mt-4 space-y-2.5"><li><a href="/get-support" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Get Support</a></li><li><a href="/refer" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Refer Someone</a></li><li><a href="/volunteer" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Volunteer</a></li><li><a href="/partners" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Become a Partner</a></li><li><a href="/donate" class="text-sm text-cream/80 hover:text-cream hover:underline">Donate</a></li></ul></nav></div><div class="mt-12 rounded-xl border border-cream/15 bg-cream/5 p-6"><h2 class="font-display text-lg font-bold text-cream">Join the Newsletter</h2><p class="mt-2 max-w-xl text-sm text-cream/75">Occasional updates on programs, events, and ways to help. 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