Organizational History

In 2005 the three founders of Hunterdon Hispanos (HHi) met through the Community Diversity Council of Hunterdon County.  All three were women who were connected in some way to the Spanish-speaking community. It didn't take long before they decided to join forces and work together to try to do something to help Spanish-speaking families connect more effectively with the bilingual resources that were available in Hunterdon County. Their first idea was to open a community center, but it didn't take long for them to realize that this was a dream that was going to take time to realize. In the meantime, they decided to roll up their sleeves and achieve the goals of helping families.

The first project the women undertook was a newsletter called "La Vida." It consisted of a single sheet of paper, run off on a borrowed photocopier and folded in half. By the second issue the newsletter was renamed "La Voz" and featured three small ads from local businesses who had each paid $20 to sponsor the cost of buying more paper. From there the newsletter steadily grew and, one year later, had grown into a professionally printed 16 page publication containing local news, events and resources, including five monthly columns written by volunteers.

As awareness about the newsletter grew, people began to seek our help with other issues. Among them was a bike safety equipment drive, which served as a memorial for a local resident who had been hit by a drunk driver while riding his bike to work later dying. Another program consisted of a coat drive, a collaborative effort with a local organization, that resulted in approximately 70 coats being provided to needy families.  In collaboration with Mediatech and the Chubb Hispanic and Latino Employee network (CHLEN), we created a specialized Spanish-language computer course for local residents interested in developing their technical skills.  The popularity of the class led us to conduct another session at the Lambertville Free Public Library. Next came a networking event for Hispanic professionals, the first of its kind in Hunterdon County.

Project-by-project the organization grew. In 2008, Hunterdon Hispanos became a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. A year later, the organization opened its offices to the public, promoting and advocating various programs and activities. English as a Second Language (ESL), Ask the Attorney, Work Connect, and Computer Literacy became our leading initiatives, along with a series of children activities and cultural programming.  

Slowly but surely, HHi has transitioned from a small-but-mighty army of volunteers into a respected and well-known organizatio, locally and statewide, building bridges and breaking down the barriers of stereotypes. Today, Hunterdon Hispanos is poised to be a key player in Hunterdon County by networking with other local organizations that have demonstrated their ability and capacity to assist our families. Through a newly-created Family Resource and Educational Center, HHi seeks to bring Latino residents and others together through opportunities that strenghten community ties, promote inclusion and facilitate access to information and those resources needed to fully participate in and contribute to the community at large. Improved and new newly-developed initiatives serve to empower our families, and position them for a sustainable future. Financial literacy, entrepreneurial projects, health related forums, and a focus toward our youth are the primary drivers of our new vision. 

We hope you will join us in creating a vibrant, empowered and inclusive future for Hispanics in Hunterdon County.

Our founders' dream was realized when our offices opened in October of 2009. The photo below shows the community room, set-up for a meeting. Not pictured is our computer lab, conference room, children's play room and business office.