In Chicago alone, over 150 youths are still waiting to be matched

Big Brothers Big Sisters

by Ryan Vande Bosche

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a not-for-profit organization that began in 1904, when Ernest Coulter and 39 other volunteers decided to befriend young boys in urban communities. By 1912, Big Brothers Big Sisters was active in 26 different cities nationwide.

The first Big Brothers Big Sisters pairing was made in Chicago in 1969. Since then Chicago has matched 6,600 children to adult mentors. By 2002, Big Brothers Big Sisters served more than 200,000 youths ages 5 to 18. There are 470 separate agencies in 5,000 different communities across the nation. The goal of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to have matched and served one million children nationwide by 2010.

In Chicago, Big Brother Big Sister’s mission is to “Help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with measurable impact.” Its main objective is to “provide friendship, emotional support, and guidance to Chicago’s youth through positive adult role models.”

“Our organization is multi-faceted. We all have our assigned roles, but take on many different responsibilities,” said Kara Allen, the after school program director. As a not-for-profit organization, each individual employee takes on many different roles.

Allen explained that there is always an open exchange of communication between the employees and volunteers in order to fulfill all of their responsibilities.

“Much of the organization is built on team work,” Allen said.

One major aspect that has contributed to the success of Big Brothers Big Sisters is the positive response from Chicago communities. Many Chicagoans have come together to support Big Brothers Big Sisters by volunteering as an adult mentor.

“Many times it is the volunteers who come together and discuss ways of improving the organization,” said Big Sister Shelly Clifford, a 22-year-old student. “These ideas are then often taken to the local coordinator who approaches Chicago’s Big Brothers Big Sisters board.”

Chicago offers two different types of volunteer programs. The first, a community based program, allows mentors to visit the youths at home or pick them up to take them places for one-on-one mentoring.

The second program is a site-based program in which young adults or students visit youths at a designated site. They visit with the youths for a few hours a month in a group setting.

Although Big Brother Big Sister has proved to be one of Chicago’s favorite not-for-profit organizations, they are still looking for more volunteers. In Chicago alone, over 150 youths are still waiting to be matched.

Those interested in volunteering in the Chicago area should contact the organization at www.bbbschgo.org or by phone at (312)-427-0637.