We provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported 1-to-1 relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.
In Green County, 33% of children live with only one parent. About 38% qualify for reduced price lunch. The rate of student alcohol and tobacco use in Green County is higher than the national rate. Schools appreciate support for children with academic or behavioral difficulties in school.
We match children with caring people who provide guidance and attention. We professionally support about 40 community matches and about 150 school matches each year.
We measure the change in 21 developmental traits like confidence, competence, and caring. All matches report improvements in some traits.
We break the poverty cycle. Adults who had a Big Brother or Big Sister are wealthier and better educated than their peers. (Harris Interactive, 2009)
Impact
Independent research shows Big Brothers Big Sisters has a measurable, positive impact in children’s lives. In a nationwide study, Little Brothers and Little Sisters were:
- 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
- 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
- 52% less likely to skip school
- 37% less likely to skip a class
- more confident of their performance in schoolwork
- one-third less likely to hit someone
- getting along better with their families
Core Programs
- Community-Based Mentoring – traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters one-to-one mentoring, a few hours a couple of times a month.
- School-Based Mentoring – one-to-one mentoring that takes place at school.
Organization
- Nearly 400 affiliates across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Each affiliate is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with its own staff, budget and board of directors.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the national organization, sets and measures program standards, assists in fundraising and volunteer recruitment, and provides grant funding to our affiliates.
Ratings
- Charity Navigator, 4-star (highest) rating for organizational efficiency
- Better Business Bureau, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America meets all of its standards for Charity Accountability
- Independent Charities Seal of Excellence
History in Brief
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s roots date to 1904, when Ernest Coulter, a New York City court clerk, established Big Brothers to match caring adults with young people who were getting into trouble. At the same time, members of Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. That group would later become Catholic Big Sisters, and subsequently, Big Sisters International. These groups worked independently until 1977, when Big Brothers Association and Big Sisters International joined forces and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Big Brothers Big Sisters International was founded in 1998, and now serves children in 12 countries.
