Dear Friends of SquashBridge,

As 2025 approaches, and I come to the end of my first four months as the founding Executive Director of SquashBridge, I wanted to provide a brief summary of where SquashBridge is today.

Our facility, located in the Hollow neighborhood of Bridgeport—the largest city in the state of Connecticut—will span 15,000 square feet and will include 7 indoor squash courts, an outdoor steel squash court, 3 classrooms, a lounge, and office space for staff. Construction began in August 2024 and is expected to be completed late next year. Click here for a virtual walkthrough of the facility.

Our future community partners will include local elementary schools in the Hollow neighborhood of Bridgeport, which will form the core of our after-school Program. We plan to start with a cohort of 3rd to 5th graders, and we're in the process of forming partnerships with area public, charter, Catholic, and scholarship-based private schools. With a target of 75 students (25 per grade), SquashBridge will cast a wide net to ensure we attract a critical mass of students who will have access to and help shape this incredible community squash center.

We are grateful to be a part of a network of 28 extraordinary youth programs that are a part of the Squash and Education Alliance, and we are learning a great deal from our neighbors StreetSquash and CitySquash in New York City, Capitol Squash in Hartford, and Squash Haven, which is less than 40 minutes away in New Haven. SquashBridge is also excited that it will be the home to SEA tournaments, camps, staff retreats, and more.

Like many nonprofits and SEA programs, we rely heavily on philanthropy and local expertise. Our longtime donors have been immensely generous and trusting of the vision set forth by SEA and the SquashBridge board. We are fortunate to have board members who roll up their sleeves and work tirelessly in pursuit of making this vision a reality.

SquashBridge is where it is today because of the many people that donated to a vision of what this facility and program could be. If you helped us in the past, I would like to say thank you.

Our goal is to raise $750,000 by August 2025. If you are interested in joining the Founders Campaign, your support will help us build a strong foundation for long-term growth, including hiring key staff, setting up operations in our new facility, and building lasting relationships that will serve the needs of the Bridgeport community. In addition to raising funds through donations, I look forward to hosting you at SquashBridge, and I hope that it will be a place that you and your family choose to play squash. SquashBridge will be open to all, seven days a week.

The month of December has seen the greatest amount of physical transformation on the site and in order to experience this you can view this 1 minute time-lapse video by clicking here

Finally, I want to leave you with a statement that has become my guiding principle for what this program can become:

"We are building a foundation for SquashBridge to be the home of future champions in squash and life."

All the best to you in 2025, and thank you for being a part of SquashBridge.

Simba Muhwati

Founding Executive Director: SquashBridge

Mailing Address: PO Box 388, Bridgeport, CT 06601

EIN #: 93-3309407