One-To-One Mentorship And Support For Underprivileged Children
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. As the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18. Our Bigs and Littles share everyday activities together: eating out, playing sports, attending events, going to the movies, sightseeing, and just hanging out. Every year, we serve more than 275 children in Southwestern Illinois: 80% come from households living below the poverty line and 85% come from non-traditional households. Research shows that the presence of a caring adult role model in a child’s life is one of the single most important factors in building a child’s resilience and optimism.
