Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Announces the BIG Benefit to Celebrate Changemakers and Mark 120 Years of Life Changing Mentorship Setting Stage to Launch the Ambitious Vision to Reach 10 Million More Kids
Hosted by eight-time Grammy nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan, the event will include a special performance by 17-time Grammy award-winning artist Sting and celebrate Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Co-President Andreas C. Dracopoulos, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, iHeartMedia Chairman & CEO Bob Pittman, and Carlyle CEO Harvey Schwartz
NEW YORK, NY – (August 19, 2025) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of America today announce the BIG Benefit, a milestone celebration marking the organization’s 120th anniversary and launching an ambitious goal to reach more kids across the country with life changing mentorship. The one-time event will take place on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, in New York City at Cipriani South Street.
The evening will recognize extraordinary Changemakers Andreas C. Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, and Harvey Schwartz, CEO of Carlyle, whose work exemplifies the power of mentorship and vision.
“This 120th anniversary represents not just our history, but also an opportunity to galvanize more people to break the cycle for 10 million kids who don’t have positive and sustained mentors in their lives,” says Artis Stevens, president and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “We’re leveraging this moment as a unique opportunity to be a catalyst for hundreds of thousands of young people, volunteers and their families over the next several years.”
The celebration will feature eight-time Grammy nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan as emcee, guiding attendees through an inspiring evening, culminating with a special performance by 17-time Grammy award-winning artist Sting.
“This isn’t just a fundraising event – it’s a rallying moment that will launch the next chapter of our mission, says Stevens.”
What started as one champion with a vision to match one kid with one mentor has grown into the largest and most prestigious mentoring organization in the country. Now, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is launching “One Big Vision” – an ambitious five-point plan to:
- Train one million mentors to support kids’ well-being
- Embed mentors in 1,000 schools that need support most
- Ensure every company has a youth workplace mentoring program
- Ignite 20 million alumni Bigs and Littles to re-engage and champion mentorship in communities nationwide
- Make mentoring a funding priority at federal, state, and local government levels
To learn more about Big Benefit and opportunities to champion mentorship, visit https://www.bbbs.org/the-big-benefit/.