Our BiG Story

OUR STORY CHAPTER 1

(Founded December 2016 and opened doors August 2017)

BiG (Believe in God’s) H.E.R.O.E.S is a faith-based nonprofit organization.  The efforts to create an organization began as an idea that spun from shared conversation between the original founder, Martha M. Gonzalez, and her co-founder, Leticia Martinez in the late spring of 2016.  The decision was prompted when Letty told Martha that there were no continued opportunities post-high school for young adults participating in in a transition program at the local high schools.  Finding it unacceptable, they both began researching opportunities for students with different abilities and so their journey led them to the Houston Area.  They traveled back and forth until they felt confident that this was a much-needed program for the Rio Grande Valley community.  Following the model program in Houston, both ladies made phone calls to some families to see if they would be willing to be a part of the BiG Heroes program.  To their surprise, they were able to get commitments from seven families.  The original students of the program were seven girls who were excited at the prospect of making social connections, learning job skills, and continuing life skills instruction.  Martha left the Brownsville Independent School District in 2016 to lead and direct the program and was able to later secure a grant and donations to eventually hire a program director in 2020, two teachers and office staff.  There have been numerous volunteers that have joined in our BiG mission and vision and never left the organization which they now consider their “happy-place”.  Miss Letty Martinez was able to enjoy the program and see it thrive with smiling faces until July 11, 2018, when she went to rest with the good Lord and became our most beloved angel watching over the program.  We are firm believers that she is smiling down on us.  Our vision is to change the way the world views individuals with disabilities and focuses on what they can do – their ABILITIES!  It is our testimony that God took us from nothing to the organization that it is today.  We thank all our supporters for believing in our mission and vision, but most of all, for allowing our members to be an active part of an inclusive community…BiG blessings! 

(Founded December 2016 and opened doors August 1, 2017)

BiG Heroes (Believe in God’s Heroes) is a faith-based nonprofit organization providing educational opportunities to young adults with disabilities once they graduate from high school.  

 Our story and journey continue by emphasizing what our faith as a BiG family has done for us at BiG Heroes.  Every morning, we begin our day with prayer.  As we recite our prayer, we include everyone and anything that comes to mind and in our hearts – family, friends, community leaders and most especially those that support and protect us.  At the strike of the pandemic and forced to close in 2020 due to not being able to social distance in our tiny building, one of our members, Oscar, began to include prayers for a bigger building.  The prayer became ongoing, and we looked forward to having different members also take the faith torch to pray for a bigger building.  In December 2021, we received a phone call from a family friend and community onlooker of the BiG Heroes program who stated that they, the Huerta Family, had a gift for BiG Heroes – a bigger place!

 Chapter 2 of our BiG Story talks about our testimony and what faith can do when you believe in GOD with all your heart, with all your might and with all your being.  The Huerta family received their call from our Heavenly Father to help.  Their personal story was that their beloved mom, Mrs. Jane Huerta, too had a dream of building an educational center with GOD as the foundation and pillar of her mission as she served as Pastor for the Lighthouse Christian Discipleship Church.  When the property was donated to BiG Heroes, Pastor Jane Huerta became our new angel. Pastor Jane’s family, Mr. Angel Huerta, Nathan (Ruby) Huerta, and Dana Huerta plus her immediate and extended family were all present at the ribbon cutting ceremony held on August 1, 2022.  Pastor Jane’s son, Nathan Huerta, shared a strong message his mother would tell him and that resonates well with our message of faith:

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man, this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible…”  Matthew 19.26

Our Journey of Growth and Inclusion Continues

At BiG Heroes, we make the most out of any gesture of kindness - a contribution, a visit, or an invitation.   We are all called to love one another and to help one another.  He does not know where God is taking us, but we are enjoying the journey and the path he has laid out for us.  Be someone’s light today and enjoy the journey with us!  

Jesus instructed, “In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven…”  Matthew 5:16

Thank you and BiG Blessings from everyone at BiG Heroes!

JOURNEY

BiG Heroes (Believe in God’s Heroes) is a faith-based nonprofit organization providing educational opportunities to young adults with special needs once they graduate from high school.  

 With great faith, our JOURNEY continues with more blessings!   We have been blessed with a new location that has allowed us to expand in space, members, staff, and volunteers.  Chapter 3 emphasizes and highlights our journey, and we cannot fail to mention how all our wonderful supporters have helped us thus far.  For 2023, we were incredibly blessed to have had the support of many individuals, foundations and families that see the incredible impact BiG Heroes makes in the lives of some very special individuals.  As an employability program for the special needs community, we currently have 18 working student members and one very special individual that has two jobs!!!

 To make our 2023 journey in the educational mission most rewarding, we were blessed with the approval of a grant for two vans by the Moody Foundation!  With transportation, we are now able to take our members on tours to educational sites within our community thus allowing our members to learn and grow in knowledge of what makes our community so special.  The transportation grant was our largest approved grant for 2023 and it has been an incredible addition to what we envisioned for the future of BiG Heroes.  

 At BiG Heroes, we think BiG and we pray BiG!  Our student members are always at the forefront of our mission and vision in search of continued opportunities once they graduate from high school.  We pray that one day we have more inclusive opportunities for our special needs population, which includes housing.  We are very close to outgrowing our new location and have already begun to send up prayers for our next location and we hope to be able to include housing at or near our next location.  This mission is an ongoing journey for BiG Heroes.  Let us know how you might be able to support us! Feel free to call us…BiG blessings!