For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has helped children reach their potential through professionally supported relationships with proven results.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and set out to find volunteers.  That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.  By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country.

Around the same time, the members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court.  That group would later become Big Sisters International.

Both groups continued to work independently until 1977, when Big Brothers of America and Big Sisters International joined forced and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to the vision of bringing caring mentors into the lives of children.  Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states and in 35 countries around the world. That’s what you call momentum; programs that work sustain themselves!

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children in one-to-one relationships based on friendship.  Matched with caring volunteers, children gain new experiences while having fun. The agency is always seeking volunteers who possess high standards, are stable, honest and live with integrity in their lives.  We assist children of every ethnic, racial, national, cultural and religious group in Island County who may need additional positive role models to further enrich their lives.

As a preventive program, the goal of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to reinforce positive attributes in children helping them to become confident, caring and competent adults within their communities.  A strengthened sense of self worth at home, in school and in the community are often results. Children who have an older special friend tend to be less likely to be swayed by peer pressure, perform better academically and have a more even-tempered attitude.  It is through this special friendship that our kids stay great!

Children ages 6-14 who are willing and anxious to build a positive caring friendship.  Volunteers age 19 or older – individuals who are willing and able to be a child’s friend can become “Bigs” in community matches. High school volunteers can become “Bigs” for younger students in the school-based program.

If you are interested in enrolling a child in the program here is the link.

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children (“Littles”) ages 6 through 18 with volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) in professionally supported relationships (“Matches”).  Matches meet two to four times per month for at least 12 months in one of our programs.

You can donate in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County by clicking here.

If you click on the above photo there is a video about their Mentoring Program:)

Events like these are a great way to get involved.

Remember there are a lot of organizations on South Whidbey Island that provide support to the community. You can find out more be clicking on The HELP Network of South Whidbey Island.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County website .