About BBBS

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been America’s preeminent national youth-serving organization.   Our service is based on a one-to-one relationship between an adult volunteer and a child at risk.

Volunteers serve as friends, mentors and role models, helping children (who are primarily from one-parent homes) gain greater self-confidence.   “Bigs” encourage “Littles” to realize their potential and see themselves as having happy and successful futures.

Big Brother and Big Sister mentors have influenced the lives of over one million children in thousands of communities across the nation.  More than 500 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies nationwide “match” adult volunteers and children based on common interests and the child’s specific needs.

Key Facts:

A recent study conducted by a respected national research firm examined the effect of BBBS mentoring on youth and found that, compared to their peers, Little Brothers and Little Sisters who met with their Bigs regularly were:

• Forty-six percent less likely to start using drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking.
• Fifty-two percent less likely to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class.  (The youth not only skipped school less, but also earned slightly higher grades and felt slightly better about how they were doing in school.)
• One third less likely to hit someone, and
• More trusting of their parents or guardians, less likely to lie to them, and felt more supported and less criticized by their peers and friends.