American Contract Bridge League Unit 503

THE AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE UNIT 503 IS AN ORGANIZATION WHICH PROMOTES THE PLAY OF DUPLICATE BRIDGE. IT IS COMPRISED OF 11 BRIDGE CLUBS AND IS THE LARGEST ACBL UNIT IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. RECREATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE PROVIDED FOR UNIT 503'S APPROXIMATELY 840 BRIDGE CLUB MEMBERS, OTHER ACBL BAY AREA UNITS' 4,400 MEMBERS, AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC, TO LEARN AND PLAY THE CARD GAME OF BRIDGE. DURING 2023, DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES WERE HELD EITHER FACE-TO-FACE OR ONLINE AT MULTIPLE TIMES EACH DAY, UP TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. THE UNIT RENTS A FACILITY IN MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA WHERE FACE-TO-FACE BRIDGE GAMES ARE PLAYED. IN 2023 THE BRIDGE CLUB HELD ELEVEN ONE-TO-FIVE-DAY FACE-TO-FACE BRIDGE TOURNAMENTS. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FACE-TO-FACE BRIDGE LESSONS WERE HELD AT THE CLUB. ADDITIONALLY, THE UNIT HELD 12 BRIDGE LECTURES AS PART OF THE CLUB'S BRIDGE EDUCATION PROGRAM. THE UNIT HAS A MENTOR PROGRAM IN WHICH EXPERIENCED BRIDGE PLAYERS PARTNER WITH LESS EXPERIENCED PLAYERS TO IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS. A LARGE LIBRARY OF BRIDGE BOOKS IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS' LEARNING. THE UNIT'S WEBSITE IS EXTENSIVE AND CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT'S ACTIVITIES, BRIDGE GAME SCHEDULES AND RESULTS OF DAILY GAMES, BRIDGE LESSONS AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, AND THE UNIT'S GOVERNANCE. THE UNIT'S PRESIDENT PUBLISHES A MONTHLY LETTER, WHICH UPDATES CLUB MEMBERS AS TO THE CLUB'S ACTIVITIES AND UPCOMING EVENTS. THE UNIT ALSO CONTRIBUTES A COLUMN TO THE BRIDGE DISTRICT NEWSLETTER, PUBLISHED REGULARLY AND FREE TO MEMBERS, WHICH CONTAINS CLUB NEWS, UPCOMING EVENTS, AND BRIDGE-RELATED INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO CLUB MEMBERS. THE UNIT MEMBERSHIP AND GUESTS ARE LARGELY SENIORS, AND THE UNIT PROVIDES A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN MEET NEW PEOPLE, MAKE FRIENDS, PURSUE A HOBBY, PLAY AN ENTERTAINING CARD GAME, AND KEEP MENTALLY SHARP.