For over 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has changed the lives of many children nationwide. Since 1973, Big Brothers Big Sisters has served as the leading mentoring agency for children of Mercer County in New Jersey.
A 501(c) non-profit organization geared toward helping children thrive and achieve success, Big Brothers Big Sisters is America’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network. Through BBBS, children experiencing hardships (Littles) through the ages of six to eighteen, are paired in meaningful mentorships with responsible adult volunteers (Bigs). It is through these mentorships that children establish life-long friendships and regain hope as well as the motivation needed to reach absolute prosperity.
Located on 535 E Franklin Street in Trenton, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County wishes to continue touching the lives of local children by diversifying their team of volunteers. Currently, the organization is in search of bilingual Bigs, adult volunteers who can fluently speak English and Spanish.
Many families who apply for BBBS’s Community Based Program are of Hispanic descent and primarily speak the Spanish language. Not only does this language barrier serve as an issue of communication between the Spanish speaking parents of bilingual children and volunteers, but more so for children who solely speak Spanish. Children who are not fluent in English are often placed on the waiting list where they await to be matched with an adult volunteer. This waiting period, due to the lack of bilingual volunteers, is longer for children who do not speak English and can often extend from months to years.
Having volunteers who fluently speak English and Spanish will be an immense benefit to the organization and will help create more opportunities for more Littles. Bilingual speakers who wish to serve as a Big Brother or Big Sister do not have to be Hispanic, but simply know how to fluently communicate through both languages.
To provide extra support to the Spanish speaking Littles of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, call (609) – 656 – 1000 to begin the application process. For more information regarding Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County, visit https://bbbsmercer.org/.
