Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Facts
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the largest youth mentoring organization in the United States. Its mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.
Mentoring Matches
- Big Brothers Big Sisters served 255,000 children in 2007 – more than twice the number of five years ago.
- The organization is currently focusing on recruiting Big Brothers, especially African-Americans and Hispanics.
Results
Independent research shows that its model of professionally supported one-to-one relationships between young people and their Big Brothers and Big Sisters has a measurable, positive impact. 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
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.
- Amachi – church-, synagogue- and mosque-based mentoring for children with a parent in prison.
- All Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring relationships have the support of professional staff.
Organization
- 399 affiliates across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Each affiliate is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with its own staff, budget and board of directors.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the national organization, sets program standards; and provides fundraising, volunteer recruitment, seed capital and supporting services to its affiliates.
Ratings
Financial (2006)
- National organization budget, $23 million
- Affiliates’ total revenue, $246 million
- Grants and donations to national organization, $9 million
History
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 of America 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.
Location
230 North 13th Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
215 567-7000
BigBrothersBigSisters.org
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