Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Michigan

Over 100 years ago, BBBS was founded as an innovative alternative to the juvenile justice system to create equity and empowerment for young people who needed us most. Today, this spirit drives us to become the foremost JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) youth empowerment organization putting every kid on the path to graduate with a plan for their future and the impacts of mentoring for their lifetime. BBBS began serving Washtenaw County youth and families in 1991, as a sponsored program, under the trusteeship of Huron Service for Youth, and later under Help Source. In the first several years of programming, an average of 45 children were matched annually. The program grew over the next ten years, serving 163 youth in 2001. In July of 2007, BBBS-WC became a freestanding, independent organization and are proud to have created and supported over 7,600 one-to-one mentoring relationships over the last 30 years. Mission and Goals Our VISION is that all youth achieve their full potential. Our MISSION is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. We work with parents/guardians, volunteers and others in the community to hold ourselves ACCOUNTABLE for each young person in our program achieving: · Higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships, · Avoidance of risky behaviors, and · Educational success