Who We Serve » Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater California, Inc.

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Big Brother Big Sisters, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 1904.  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento (BBBS), an affiliate of the national organization, was established in 1963 to serve the needs of children, ages 7 – 18, in the Sacramento region, including, Sacramento, Yolo, South Placer, and San Joaquin Counties.  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento serves approximately 500 ethnically and economically diverse children annually.  The majority of children and youth served are from single-parent homes and approximately 93% of the children currently live at or below poverty level.  Most are boys (76%) who may have no caring and positive male adult in their lives.  Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs offer one-to-one, long-term mentoring programs in community-based settings.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is best known for its community-based program in which caring adult volunteers are recruited, carefully screened and trained, then matched with a child, typically from a single-parent home.  Mentors, known as Big Brothers or Big Sisters ( or “Bigs”), visit weekly with their assigned children, called Little Brothers or Little Sisters (Littles), and engage in activities that enhance the child’s abilities and personal assets, increase his/her knowledge of the community, and build self confidence. Within each relationship, the child and volunteer mentor build a friendship and trust that encourages and supports the child, allowing him/her to safely try new things, develop decision-making skills, experience success in social situations, and to model behavior after the mentor. Through his/her new found skills and successes, the child feels better about himself and typically begins to make positive decisions about life and its risks rather than engaging in those activities that could lead to school failure, teen parenting, delinquency, and similar risky behaviors.

Our one-to-one mentoring program has demonstrated success in supporting, enhancing, and building better futures for children in the counties we serve.  Public/Private Ventures conducted science-based research on a national level to study the impact of BBBS mentoring programs.  This major research endeavor determined that young people who have a BBBS mentor:

• Are 52% less likely to skip school
• Are 46% less likely to begin using drugs
• Are 33% less likely to hit someone
• Are 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• Have four times fewer teen pregnancies
• Have four time fewer arrests

The study also concluded that the mentees (Littles) are more confident in their schoolwork performance, get along better with their families and their peers, and develop greater self-esteem and self-reliance.  We see these kinds of results day in and day out, as our programs positively impact the children we serve as well as the communities in which they live. 

Key to the success of the mentoring relationships and activities that take place, is on-going professional case management and support provided to the mentors, children and their families throughout the time the children are enrolled and meeting with a mentor. Support staff monitors the bigs and littles’ relationships for child safety and appropriateness of activities and facilitate communication with all parties. The Bigs receive additional training as needed to meet changing needs of the children/family as part of this staff support. Additionally, staff organizes group outings, arrange for discounted fees for community events/amusements, and provide information about opportunities in the region in which the bigs and littles can participate. This support enables the bigs and littles to establish and maintain longer, stronger relationships that impact the lives of the children.

www.bbbs-sac.org