Organization: JEFFERSON BRIDGE ASSOCIATION INC
Mission: TO FOSTER, ENCOURAGE, AND PROMOTE THE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY OF DUPLICATE BRIDGE, AND TO ORGANIZE, CONDUCT AND SUPPORT BRIDGE MATCHES, TOURNAMENTS, AND OTHER BRIDGE ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE PIEDMONT AREA OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA.
Activities: THE ASSOCIATION SPONSORS FIVE SANCTIONED GAMES EACH WEEK, THUS FOSTERING THE SOCIAL, RECREATIONAL AND MENTALLY CHALLENGING ASPECTS OF DUPLICATE BRIDGE FOR LOCAL ENTHUSIASTS. IN ORDER FOR A GAME TO BE SANCTIONED BY THE AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE, A GAME SHOULD HAVE A MINIMUM OF THREE TABLES OF FOUR CONTESTANTS. OUR SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF TABLES IN PLAY PER GAME, AND TOTAL NUMBER OF TABLES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. OUR ASSOCIATION HAS GROWN FROM PLAYING A TOTAL OF 740 TABLES IN YEAR 2006 TO 2,339 TABLES IN YEAR 2019 FOR APPROXIMATELY 9,358 PLAYERS. A PRIMARY GOAL OF THE ASSOCIATION IS TO INCREASE ATTENDANCE AND ENJOYMENT OF THE GAME BY PROVIDING THE MOST MODERN EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, A SAFE AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR PLAYERS, AND EVENTUALLY OWNING A DEDICATED FACILITY WHERE DAILY GAMES AND CLASSES CAN BE OFFERED FOR OUR MEMBERS.
THE ASSOCIATION PROMOTES EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, RELIGION, OR PHYSICAL ABILITIES, TO PLAY THE GAME OF DUPLICATE BRIDGE BY FINANCIALLY SUPPORTING AND TEACHING CLASSES AT CONVENIENT TIMES IN OUR LOCAL AREA. OVER THE PAST FOURTEEN YEARS, OUR ASSOCIATION HAS HAD A SERIES OF EIGHTEEN CLASSES FOR JUST OVER FIVE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE NEWCOMERS TO THE GAME. IN 2019, WE HAD ANOTHER CLASS (IN CONJUNCTION WITH OLLI) FOR THIRTY-EIGHT NEWCOMERS THROUGH OUR NATIONAL AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE. OUR ASSOCIATION COORDINATES WITH THE ACBL IN SPONSORING TOURNAMENTS, SO THAT LOCAL BRIDGE PLAYERS CAN MEET AND COMPETE WITH OTHER BRIDGE PLAYERS ON A REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL. IN 2017 WE BEGAN OFFERING TWO NEW GAMES FOR SOLICITING NEW PLAYERS. A THURSDAY GAME WAS STARTED TO MENTOR AND TEACH ONLY BEGINNERS HOW TO PLAY BRIDGE BY GIVING A LESSON AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH GAME BY ONE OF OUR EXPERT PLAYERS. THIS GAME HAS GROWN TO HAVE AN AVERAGE OF SEVEN TABLES EACH WEEK. ALSO, WE BEGAN OFFERING A PRO-AM GAME ON THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF BEGINNING PLAYERS WANTING TO PARTNER WITH A MENTOR TO IMPROVE THEIR BIDDING AND PLAY.
THE ASSOCIATION ORGANIZES GAMES TO BENEFIT LOCAL CHARITIES BY GIVING MONETARY DONATIONS AND SUPPLIES, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, SOLICITING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR MEMBERS. THIS PAST YEAR, WE WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN HAVING OUR MEMBERS TO DONATE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, WHILE ATTENDING OUR CHARITY GAMES, WHICH BENEFITED MANY OF THE CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED ON OUR WEBSITE.
NTEE category: Recreation & Sports
Secondary category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building