Bonner Community Partners

Mercer Street Friends: Community Schools Initiative

Community Schools, recognized nationally, are public schools partnering with community organizations to provide comprehensive educational opportunities. They address students’ social, emotional, physical and academic needs year-round through partnerships that offer health services, expanded learning, family engagement, and collaborative leadership. TCNJ Bonner community scholars support small group interventions focusing on social emotional learning at Gregory Elementary School and Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. They also support the food security initiatives with food banks placed in all three community schools across Trenton.

Trenton High School – Bridge to Employment (BTE)

Trenton Urban Promise

UrbanPromise Trenton empowers youth and teens to envision and create a positive future. Their mission is to equip Treton’s youth with essential skills for academic achievement, life skills, and spiritual growth. The TCNJ Bonner Community Scholars support the high school students, known as “Street Leaders,” by offering academic assistance and mentorship opportunities for younger students. On Fridays, they conduct workshops on diverse topics such as nutrition, understanding your rights, and financial literacy, among others.

Upward Bound

TRIO Upward Bound is an educational program offered during the summer and academic year for high school students from low-income families; and families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. The goal of TRIO Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary school and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education. TCNJ Bonner Community Scholar supports Upward Bound students by providing academic support at 9th Grade Academy and Trenton Central High School. They also support the staff in planning cultural trips and experiences for the students.

Fernbrook Farms

The Bonner Institute collaborates with Fernbrook Farm Educational Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides youth in inner-city areas, such as Trenton, educational opportunities to learn about the importance of the environment, sustainability and health. Bonner Scholars work with Fernbrook to develop opportunities for youth in Trenton, as well as build up the capacity of the not-for-profit portion of the Farms.

Meals on Wheels Mercer County

Meals on Wheels of Mercer County is a private, non-profit organization committed to providing nutritious meals and related services which are designed to promote the independence, dignity, health and wellbeing of our homebound customers. We deliver meals to homebound individuals in the ​Mercer County area with the help of a large group of committed volunteers. Bonner Community Scholars deliver meals and support homebound individuals in Trenton and the region.

TCNJ Environmental Sustainability Council

Bonner Scholars work with the TCNJ Environmental Sustainability Council, which is dedicated to the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality for our campus. It gives tangible actions that we will initiate in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Students develop and execute campus-wide projects including recycling initiatives, Reduce for Good Use campaigns, and a tree mapping project.

TCNJ Campus Garden

Constructed by Bonners and volunteers in April 2010, the team maintains the TCNJ Campus Garden, including weeding, watering and planting fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. This community garden provides food for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen as well as a space to build community and educate urban youth. In 2013, the garden was relocated to its current site, on the south end of campus. With help from PC3 and Buildings and Grounds staff, an eight-foot fence was installed, the soil was tilled, and water access has been provided.

Arc Mercer

The Arc Mercer is a grassroots, family focused organization dedicated to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to achieve their goals. We believe everyone is a valued, contributing member of our community at large. Our focus is to provide those we serve with the resources, support, and services needed to reach their highest level of independence regardless of diagnosis, and at all stages of life. Bonner Scholars design and support programming for the Arc Mercer community.

Rescue Mission

The Rescue Mission of Trenton is the agency in the City of Trenton that serves the truly needy men and women who have no place to turn for shelter, food, and clothing. The Mission provides a safe, clean, warm, refuge for the homeless, the hungry, the transient and the addicted. Bonner Scholar Entrepreneurs are supporting the Rescue Mission by selling the Mission Store’s items to a niche market – the campus community – and donating the profits back to the Rescue Mission (The Thrift Project). Along with the Environment Team, Bonner Scholars work with TCNJ community on the clothing drives. Bonner Scholars are also assist with other projects at the Rescue Mission such as providing GED tutoring to patrons.

El Centro de Recursos Para Familias

El Centro de Recursos Para Familias is a multi-service, family-focused community resource center and community building program serving Mercer County with special emphasis on meeting the needs of the Latino community in Trenton. Bonner Scholars work with El Centro to teach GED and Citizenship classes twice a week to families in an effort for them to achieve self-sufficiency and support in the process of becoming US citizens.nguage/pre-ESL classes twice a week to families in an effort for them to achieve self-sufficiency and confidence in their language skills.

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen

The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) is a private, non-sectarian, charitable organization that depends almost entirely on the help of dedicated volunteers and generous financial support from individuals, churches, local businesses and community organizations. TASK provides more than 9,000 free meals per week to people in need in the Trenton area, and provides a variety of social services to help individuals become self-sufficient. Bonner Scholars regularly serve on the food line, support case managers and assist in project based initiatives.