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About Us
Agency Background
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston is a private, nonprofit organization
and an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Founded in 1952,
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston serves more than 2,000 children
annually. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston is a United Way agency.
Agency Funding
The organization is funded primarily through private gifts and grants.
Special events
including, Bowl for Kids Sake, golf tournaments and
an annual Gala are the
agency's secondary source of support in
addition to the generous support of the United Way.
Click here for a list of our corporate supporters.
Impact
Public/Private Ventures conducted a comprehensive
study of boys and girls involved in a one-to-one mentoring
relationship through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program
in several cites across the United States, including
Houston.
The study found that children in our program are:
- 46% less likely than their peers to start using
illegal drugs - 27% less likely to start drinking
- 52% less likely than their peers to skip school
- 30% less likely to hit someone
- 5 times less likely than other girls between the
ages of 15 and 19 to become pregnant
Children/Littles
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children between
the ages of 6-15 with volunteer adult mentors.
Both the children and their parents receive
training on communication skills and
empowerment in addition to invitations to
on-going training sessions and annual
BBBS events.
Volunteers/Bigs
Volunteers must be 18 years of age or may
be a Junior or Senior in High School to take
part in School-Based mentoring. The selection
process for volunteers is comprehensive
and includes an in-depth interview,
background check, and office visit. Volunteers
receive initial and on-going training through
The Mentoring Institute of BBBS. Subjects
include: mentoring skills, learning styles,
cultural dynamics, ADD/ADHD, abuse, poverty,
and many other compelling areas. Volunteers
also receive continuous support from trained
professionals
within the organization.