About Big Brothers Big Sisters
For over 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has defined the meaning and refined the value of youth mentoring. The Big Brothers Big Sisters professionals use their one-to-one® mentoring system to match one child and one adult, paving the way for magical moments with life-changing impacts. Research shows that Little Brothers and Little Sisters do better in school, avoid drugs and alcohol, and feel better about themselves. These heartfelt relationships not only change kids' lives, but also have a positive ripple effect that directly contributes to stronger schools, better communities and brighter futures.
School aged children living in DeKalb County, who will benefit from having a positive role model, are eligible for Big Brothers Big Sisters. The parent, child and volunteer must:
- Agree to the service;
- Agree to stay in the program for at least one year;
- Agree that the child will be available a consistent amount of time to meet each week with the volunteer.
For Community program information and to learn about the application process, the parent may contact Meagan at (815) 758-8616. For the School Based program, the parent should contact the child’s school to request a referral to the program.
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 and the child will go onto the ready-to-be-matched, Waiting Littles list. In the School Based Mentoring program the child and parent will be contacted as soon as a Big volunteer is suitable for a match.
While on the Waiting Littles list and depending on the age of the child, he/she will belong to the Fun Bunch (ages 5-12) or Club 13 (ages 13-18) and will be invited to various Waiting Littles activities. The Big Brothers Big Sisters department often partners with community service organizations/groups, clubs, fraternities/sororities, or church groups as sponsors so these activities are free to the children. If your organization or group would like to sponsor an activity, please contact Meagan at (815) 758-8616.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is able to offer quality programs 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. For more information about any of the
programs in the Big Brothers Big Sisters department, or to make a donation
to Big Brothers Big Sisters, please contact Karen at
(815) 758-8616.
Troy Aikman, recruiting for Big Brothers
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