MINNEAPOLIS -- The 59 children rescued from a school bus atop the Interstate 35-W bridge wreckage were in a youth program with the Waite House, a part of the Pillsbury United Communities house-based non-profit organization.

The Waite House is located in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis. As an extraordinarily diverse neighborhood, Phillips faces the realities of racial, social, and economical divisions present in modern America. While many families have suffered through legacies of poverty, the Waite House provides a variety of programs to help alleviate that suffering.

With thousands of people involved in the Waite House programs, the organization is making as much difference today as it has throughout its 38-year history.

The Waite House was originally named after Edward F. Waite, a judge in juvenile court who was well-respected for his fairness throughout his career.

For the Waite House, however, things don't always seem fair. Like any other non-profit organization, funding is an obstacle. "We're not able to offer as much as we'd like to," said Waite House Communications Director Molly Schwartz.

Despite this, the Waite House's services -- including produce giveaways, free cafés, and multiple outreach programs -- manage to help hundreds of people on a regular basis.

The children involved in Wednesday's bridge collapse were returning from a field trip to a water park provided by a Waite House summer youth program. The program not only involves recreational activities, but reading and computer activities as well.

"(The Waite House) is not just trying to make people numbers," said Schwartz. "We're about building relationships with people."

After the bridge collapsed, dropping the bus full of children more than 50 feet through a cloud of debris, Jeremy Hernandez, a Waite House employee of five years, was able to lead the children to safety.

"One thing: they trusted those staff members," said Schwartz.

Eight of the school children, as well as two staff members, were hospitalized for their injuries.

Since the crash, the Waite House has provided supplementary counselors, who speak a variety of languages, to help the children through the healing process.