120 Years of History

For over a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been giving kids the opportunity to reach their potential with lifechanging mentoring relationships. It’s all thanks to volunteers, donors, and advocates just like you.

Our story began in 1904, when a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter saw increased amounts of boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help them stay out of trouble, so he set out to find volunteers. This marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.

Around the same time, a group called Ladies of Charity was befriending girls who came through the New York Children’s Court. This group would later become Catholic Big Sisters.

Both groups worked independently until 1977, when Big Brothers Association and Big Sisters International joined forces and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

More than 100 years later, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to our founders’ vision of bringing caring role models to children in need. Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states and 12 countries.

Click here to have a look at our history.