Spotlight On

Mission:
Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores/Big Brothers Big Sisters of the NCA is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of children through professionally supported long term, one-to-one relationships with carefully screened, caring and committed adults. The organization aims to strengthen single-parent families in the DC area through advocacy, crisis intervention, resource referrals, and casework support.

Background:
1n 1995, after 46 years of operation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the NCA, created the Latino branch of the organization to serve the growing Latino population of the DC area. Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores, which translates as Big Brother and Big Sisters aims to assist Latino youth, ages 8 to 15, to develop into responsible adults through bilingual mentors who have interest in serving the Latino community. Professional bilingual staff create the matches that support these relationships. The goal is to provide Latino youth in the metropolitan region with positive role models who understand their culture.

Current Programs:

• Community-Based Program
  Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores/Big Brothers Big Sisters of the NCA selects adult volunteers who wants to serve a child in need, 4 hours a week for at least a year acting as a mentor and a friend. Activities range from helping with homework or attending movies, sporting events or museums. Each match is carefully administered by trained personnel who are guided by rigorous standards and supervision of the organization and family members. Although the average length of the match is over four years, many last more than ten years or even a lifetime. Young people who meet regularly with a Big Brother or Big Sister are less likely to be involved with drugs and alcohol, do better in school and have better relationships with their parents and peers, according to a recent multi-year study conducted by Public/Private Ventures.

• School-Based Program
  Volunteers serve as a mentor 1 hour a week for at least one school year inside the grounds of a selected partner school. As a school-based mentor, the volunteer spends one hour of time with his or her match during the school-day. Activities range from having lunch together, reading aloud, working on school projects, or academic tutoring. To serve more children in need, the organization seeks to establish volunteer rich partnerships which engage mentors from corporations, civil groups, faith-based organizations, the military and service clubs.

These two programs are professionally supported by staff and have proven to have a powerful and lasting impact on children. Mentoring services aim to positively and profoundly affect a child’s self-esteem, self-confidence, academic performance, and relationship-building skills while instilling new hope for the future.

Funding Needs:
Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores/Big Brothers Big Sisters of the NCA would like to expand throughout the metropolitan Washington area and deliver its services to every child who needs and wants a Big Brother or Big Sister in their life. The organization needs to re-open an office in Mount Pleasant where a majority of Latinos live. Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores/Big Brothers Big Sisters of the NCA would like to provide additional services such as counseling, referrals, computer learning, school for parents. In general, the organization hopes to provide Latino youth a smooth transition into the mainstream as a productive and constructive member of society.

The "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the Metropolitan Washington, DC community. The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org, with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.