Our Credibility

As the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates 100 years of delivering life-changing mentoring services to children in need. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area is the 13th largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency in a federation of 490 agencies nationwide.

A recent study conducted by Public/Private Ventures found children who met with their Bigs 3-5 hours weekly for more than one year were:

• 70% less likely than their peers to initiate drug usage
• 64% achieved higher grades and
• 52% were less likely than their peers to skip a day of school.

This measurable impact, plus the fact that 90 cents of every dollar is invested in Big Brothers Big Sisters programs, makes your financial support a wise investment. Forbes Magazine singled out Big Brothers Big Sisters as one of the Top 10 Charities in America and cited BBBS for giving a better bang for the donor’s buck.

BBBSNCA has been consistently recognized nationally and locally as a high-performing mentoring organization with a strong record of success and program innovation. For four consecutive years, we have experienced growth of over 20% in community and school-based mentoring relationships. Over the last decade, the number of children, single parents and mentors benefiting from BBBS programs has grown by 800%.

BBBSNCA’s leadership and performance has been recognized by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s National Professional Association. In 2000, Wilfred Haynes, Sr., Manager of Washington, DC Programs, was named National Case Manager of the Year and in 2002, Edmund Lee, Washington Program Coordinator, also received the award.  In 2001 Denise Williams, Vice President of Programs, was named Program Manager of the Year and in 2002, agency President Paul Bliss was named CEO of the Year. In October 2006, Jorge Bustios, Director of the Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores Latino Outeach Initiative, was recognized as Program Manager of the Year. These five national awards are unprecedented for any organization within the BBBS of America's 475 agencies.

Thousands of children, adults and families have been touched by the power of mentoring of our delivering quality, long-term One-To-One® mentoring services to single-parent families in Washington, DC, Suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Today, more than ever before, the intervention and prevention services of Big Brothers Big Sisters are needed to assist thousands of children growing up in single-parent households without the positive influence of an adult male or female role model. Single parents turn to Big Brothers Big Sisters because they realize the absence of a father, mother or positive role model has a profound effect on their children’s development.

Our long-term One-To-One® mentoring solution works – over 85% of all youth served are better able to resist negative influences, remain free of the juvenile justice system and improve their academic performances.