Big Brothers Big Sisters Fun Facts:
Hey Alumni, listen up! Did you know…
1.) …Each time Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs a child with a role model, we Start Something Big: a one-to-one mentoring relationship built on trust and friendship can blossom into a future of unlimited potential.
A survey conducted by Harris Interactive with adults who were formerly Little Brothers or Little Sisters (that’s you!) for at least one year found:
- Two thirds of responders noted that their relationship with their Big was extremely important
- More than six in ten responders consider themselves to be more successful than their peers who weren’t involved in the program
- Almost 90% of responders stated that their Bigs provided stability made them feel better about themselves and helped them make better choices in their lives
- More than 75% of responders indicated they did better in school because of their Bigs and 65% agreed their Bigs helped them reach a higher level of education than they thought possible
2.)… Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the oldest and largest youth mentoring programs in the United States, first beginning in 1904 in New York City. Here’s how it all started: A young New York City court clerk named Ernest Kent Coulter was seeing many boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these boys stay out of trouble, so he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of Big Brothers Big Sister of New York City and the Big Brothers movement. By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country. At 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 Catholic Big Sisters, and also spread to cities across the country.
Years later, in a far off place, on the other side of the Country, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego was about to get its start. It all began in an elevator in 1961 at the US Grant Hotel, where Union Tribune writer Frank Rhodes was inquisitive enough to ask Mr. Jack Levin about the meaning behind his lapel pin. Hours later, the men were still discussing the Big Brothers of Los Angeles Agencies and their mission to create mentoring relationships to young men. Realizing there was no such agency locally, they became motivated to bring the Big Brothers concept to San Diego County. Mr. Levin quickly contacted his San Diego business partner, Ben Townes, to get involved and the two paved the way for one-to-one mentoring! It wasn’t long after that fateful day, that Big Brothers of San Diego merged with Big Sisters of San Diego (that had already been started from the Catholic Big Sisters movement in New York City) and the two became one. This year marks Big Brothers Big Sisters 50th Anniversary, and it all started by a conversation in an elevator. It goes to show you never know what you can start, when you take the time to care!
3.)…Big Brothers Big Sisters is a top-rated charitable organization:
- Gold Star rating by Forbes Magazine as one of its top ten charities
- Four-star rating (the highest rating) from Charity Navigator, America’s premier Premier charity evaluator
- A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy
- Big Brothers Big Sisters meets the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance’s standards for charity accountability.
In other words, WE ROCK, which means SO.DO.YOU!
Stay tuned for my next blog, FUN QUOTES about giving. Have a super, FUN day!
