Big-Brothers Big-Sisters Nwga

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NWGA Mountains has been serving the community for over forty-five years.

The Dalton organization’s rich history is built on a national heritage more than 100 years old. BBBS was founded for the sole purpose of enriching the lives of children and helping them achieve their full potential through professionally-supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. We know that with your help, this process works.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more young boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these youths stay out of trouble, so he set out to find volunteers to be the supportive friends and role models needed to help parents and children have the best opportunity to succeed in life. This marked the beginning of the “Big Brothers” movement. In only 12 years, Big Brothers had spread across the country and was solidly in place in 96 cities.

At around the same time, the members of a group called “Ladies of Charity” were making friends with young girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. This group later became “Catholic Big Sisters.” Both groups worked independently until 1977, when “Big Brothers of America” and “Big Sisters International” joined forces 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!

With the help of a network of donors, partners, and advocates in all 50 states, Big Brothers Big Sisters targets the children who need us most, including those living in single parent homes, growing up in poverty and coping with parental incarceration. Starting something begins with finding a great match between a Big and a Little. Making these matches, and performing all the background work involved with them, is possible because of donations from people like you. It’s also why we’re able to offer such a wide variety of programs that pair children, ages 6 through 18, with role models in one-to-one relationships.

Big Brothers Big Sisters operates several special programs to help us meet the needs of communities facing adversity. These programs help us focus our work with donors and partners in recruiting new Bigs, meet the needs of traditionally underserved communities, and assist communities impacted by circumstances like parental incarceration or military deployment.

In each of our lives, there has been an adult, other than our parents, who broadened our horizons and brought a little magic into our lives. By becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, you can do the same for a child. You will both be forever changed by the experience.

Getting together is a great time for both the Big and the Little. It doesn’t require a special occasion or expensive activities, just a few hours every month to share the simple things you already like to do.

Our School-Based Mentoring program is built on partnerships between Whitfield and Murray County community volunteers and Big Brothers Big Sisters NWGA Mtns. Volunteers include high school students, college students, corporate volunteers, and retirees. The goal of these partnerships is creating mentoring friendships between these volunteers and children attending an elementary, middle, or high school of their choice. Each of these volunteers is matched with a youth at one of the participating schools and meets with that youth for an hour once per week at the school.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of NWGA Mountains organization is proud to continue to build the future of our community by providing a mentor to every child needing or wanting one.