Big Brothers Big Sisters is a volunteer organization that provides children support, guidance, friendship and fun by matching them to adults.

Description:
Big Brothers Big Sisters, A Community of Caring is celebrating its 50th anniversary of serving the areas youth. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young people. Big Brothers Big Sisters serves children, ages 5 through 17.

History:
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a volunteer organization that provides children support, guidance, friendship and fun by matching them to adult role models. Founded in 1958, our mission is to place caring adult volunteers into the lives of children who need them to help each child become a caring, socially competent, and responsible adult. Big Brothers Big Sisters serves this mission through a professional staff that carefully works with both the volunteers and the children to ensure that the experience of Big Brothers Big Sisters is one that is dynamic, fulfilling, memorable and fun for both the child and the volunteer.

Our Service Area
Big Brothers Big Sisters, A Community of Caring serves five counties in Southwest Michigan: Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
For over a century, Big Brothers and Big Sisters have helped children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships with proven results.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of 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.

Both groups continued to work independently until 1977, when Big Brothers of America and Big Sisters International joined forced and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

More than a century later, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to our founders’ vision of bringing caring mentors into the lives of children. Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states … and in 35 countries around the world!

Contact person: Jodi Victor, Marketing Director, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (269) 382-4108

Address:

3501 Covington Rd. Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.bbbsmi.org

Directions:

Take US 131 South to I-94 East to exit 80 (Sprinkle Rd.) Turn right or go south on Sprinkle Road. Turn right on Covington Rd. Building is half mile down Covington