Overview
Our Mission
Our mission calls for us to change children’s lives for the better, forever. As part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters family, we put children on a path to lifelong success, changing the trajectory of their lives in positive ways.
Our Accountability Statement
To achieve our mission, our accountability statement includes a commitment to measure and be responsible for specific youth outcomes that focus on educational achievement, avoidance of risky behaviors (especially juvenile delinquency), higher self-esteem, confidence, and ability to relate to others. Both locally and nationally, we will define success based on our outcomes and scale, expanding and refining our impact through innovation and continuous improvement.
By working collaboratively with parents, children, donors, and partners in our communities, we share accountability for the children we serve and for the positive outcomes we work to achieve. We will drive collaboration, as a leader in the youth services sector, to find solutions—locally and nationally—to the challenges our country’s disadvantaged youth face.
Our History
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
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. In 1977, the two independent groups, Big Brothers Association and Big Sisters International, united together to become Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Expanding its reach even further, Big Brothers Big Sisters International was founded in 1998, and now serves children in 12 countries.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Florida
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Florida was established in 1975 and has served thousands of children within the mid-Florida area. Our coverage includes Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, and Marion County.
Staff and volunteers are proud to have had two “National Big Brother of the Year” winners (1984 & 2004), two “State Big Sister of the Year” winners (2006 & 2008), and two Arby’s scholarship winners (1999) for $20,000 and $1,000.
Impact Studies
The BBBS program is one of the most effective methods of preventing delinquency and encouraging positive development of young people. Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), a Philadelphia-based research group, conducted a five-year study of BBBS agencies nationwide called “Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters.” It found that youth matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister were:
- 46% less likely to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking
- 52% less likely to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip classes
- 33% less likely than their peers to report hitting someone
- More trusting of their parents or guardians and less likely to lie to them
- Felt more supported and less criticized by their peers and friends
- Earned higher grades and had a more positive attitude about how they did in school
BBBS volunteers had the greatest impact in preventing alcohol and substance abuse, with minority boys and girls being the most strongly influenced (70% less likely than peers to initiate drug use). What makes our matches such a powerful influence on children’s life choices? The answer lies in the special mentoring approach of BBBS of carefully matching and supporting volunteers to suit a child’s developmental needs.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said, “This is the time to…get back to the task of building our children. No organization does it better than Big Brothers Big Sisters.”
Currently, President Obama endorses mentoring programs as a prioity investment in our nation’s youth.