Parsons partners with Bridges to Prosperity to construct a footbridge in Panama
An 11-member Parsons team will travel to Panama this summer to work alongside the non-profit charity Bridges to Prosperity to construct a footbridge for a small community of rice farmers.
In 2015, Parsons committed to becoming a Country Partner for Bridges to Prosperity, an organization dedicated to building footbridges over impassable rivers so that isolated communities can access healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.
“Given my upbringing in a rice-growing family, I feel a special connection to the local rice farmers that will benefit from this project,” said Chuck Harrington, Parsons’ Chairman and CEO.
He added, “Parsons’ partnership with Bridges to Prosperity is a way for our employees, including Elie Homsi, Chairman of B2P’s Board—to volunteer their time and use their knowledge and expertise to help communities around the world. By being a Bridges to Prosperity Country Partner, participating in this life-changing project, and sharing the skills of our construction and infrastructure experts, we will help a small community access essential services safely.”
Parsons is bringing together volunteers from offices across North America to accomplish this feat of collaboration, engineering, and corporate social responsibility. Parsons’ multinational team represents multiple business units within the corporation and diverse disciplines, including bridge and civil engineers and safety managers.
Featured in the photos and video above, last year a Parsons team helped design and construct a unique 58 metre footbridge in La Guaya, Colombia, that melded together two different bridge designs.
Parsons is a technology-driven engineering services firm with more than 70 years of experience in the engineering, construction, technical, and professional services industries. The corporation is a leader in many diversified markets with a focus on infrastructure, defence, security, and construction.
Bridges to Prosperity is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to the eradication of extreme poverty through rural infrastructure development focused on footbridges. Since its founding in 2001, Bridges to Prosperity has served 798,730 people with the construction of 232 footbridges in 20 countries. In addition to providing much-needed mobility, these bridge projects serve to teach footbridge construction to local communities and provide opportunities for leadership development and personal growth through international collaboration.
