About Big Brothers Big Sisters

Mission:

To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally

supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Vision:

That all children will achieve success in life.

For over 100 years nationally and over 40 years in DeKalb County, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program has defined the meaning and refined the importance of youth mentoring. The Big Brothers Big Sisters professional staff uses the one-to-one® mentoring system to match one child (the Little) with on adult (the Big) volunteer, paving the way for enduring relationships that will have life changing impacts. Research shows that Little Brothers and Little Sisters do better in school, feel better about themselves and have better peer relationships, which leads to a positive ripple effect that directly contributes to stronger schools, better communities and brighter futures.

School aged children (5-14 years) living in DeKalb County, who will benefit from having a positive role model, are eligible to enroll in Big Brothers Big Sisters. The parent, the child and the volunteer must:

1. Agree to the service
2. Agree to stay in the program for at least one (1) year
3. Agree that the child will be available a consistent amount of time to meet each week with the volunteer.

For information about the Community Based program and to learn more about the application process, contact Courtney at 815.758.8616.

Once a child has been accepted into one of the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs, the staff will search for the right Big Brother or Big Sister while the child goes on the ready-to-be-matched list. The parent will be contacted as soon as a 'Big' volunteer is found to be suitable for a match.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a donor and volunteer supported program and is able to offer quality service at no cost to the volunteer or to the families because of funding through private contributions, donations, foundations, United Way agencies and fundraisers such as Bowl For Kids' Sake.  All supporters help bring a positive role model to children who need and want one. Please click donate for more information about how to make a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters or contact Courtney at 815.758.8616.