Q&A: The Bridge Foundation’s Nancy Marcus Newman

Nancy Marcus Newman knows her way around nonprofits. A lawyer by trade, she worked to set up the Melanoma International Foundation and later advocated changes to Pennsylvania’s adoption laws. As she watched her own children grow up, she witnessed the lack of resources for less fortunate kids and families—especially those affected by substance abuse. In long-term recovery herself, Newman created the Bridge Foundation to aid this underserved community.

About the Bridge Foundation: We’re engaged in supporting young people who are struggling with various issues. Our mission is to support those whom the current system has failed. Our children are our future, and nothing is more important than supporting their health and growth. 

Why she works with young people: By chance, I started representing a young person who struggled with mental-health issues, and I was drawn to helping a population that can’t necessarily advocate for itself. Young people need a voice. 

Best restaurant in the area: I like White Dog Cafe. I go between the locations in Wayne and Haverford. 

From Left: White Dog Cafe, Barre.

Where she hangs out: I frequent coffeehouses. I like HotHouse Coffee in Bryn Mawr and Burlap and Bean in Newtown Square. 

Where she exercises: Barre3 in Rosemont. I also love to walk. I live near the Darby Creek path, and I like to hike down there. 

Where she grocery shops: Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods in Ardmore. I like MOM’s Organic Market, too. 

Favorite activity to do with her kids: I love taking art classes with them. I’m a big fan of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. It’s one of the best art schools in the country. 

From Left: PAFA, Ardmore Music Hall

Favorite local events: I like the seasonal things. The Narberth Music & Arts Festival, pumpkin picking out in Chester County, Longwood Gardens—sort of venturing out from my home base. 

Cool place to spend time with friends: The Ardmore Music Hall is a great venue. Depending on the band, I like to go there. 

Best chance to get stuck in traffic: Along Bryn Mawr Avenue, where it connects with Sproul Road. 

If she had 30 minutes to herself, she would: Probably paint or draw something. I’m an artist. 

The most unique thing about living in the area is: The community feeling. When they say the City of Brotherly Love, it really feels like that to me.

Her daily role as president involves: Fundraising, grant applications, collaborating with other area organizations that support young people—especially young people in recovery from substance abuse or mental-health issues.

What inspired her to start the foundation: I’m a person in long-term recovery, and I have four children. As I was raising them, I recognized the need in that young-adult population to have community-based support for issues that may or may not be available or supported in our schools. Even though we don’t live in the inner city, it’s important for us to acknowledge that there are struggles—especially with young people and families, no matter where they live.