A Legacy of Big Impact

For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change kids’ perspectives and giving them the opportunity to reach their potential. 

 

It all began in 1904 when a young New York City court clerk, Ernest Coulter, saw more and more boys come through his courtroom. Recognizing that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, he set out to find volunteers. It was then that Coulter founded the Big Brothers movement, with his original 39 volunteers agreeing to each befriend one boy. Around the same time, members of the Ladies of Charity — which would later become Catholic Big Sisters — were befriending girls coming through the New York Children’s Court. 

 

Both groups continued to work independently until 1977, when Big Brothers Association and Big Sisters International joined forces to become 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 into the lives of children. And, today, Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states — and in 12 countries around the world.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward

In ​​1967, local community leaders in South Florida founded Big Brothers of Broward, Inc., matching boys with mentors in its Community-Based Mentoring program. Big Sisters International was incorporated in 1970, and Big Brothers of Broward County was re-incorporated as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County in 1973. 

 

To continue its positive impact on the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward began a school-based mentoring program in 1997 in Pompano Beach. Since then, countless programs, events, fundraisers, and initiatives have been launched to help support the youth and community in South Florida. This includes launching Mentoring Children of Promise, School-to-Work Mentoring, Swing for Kids’ Sake, Bigs in Blue, and BIG Futures, to name a few. 

 

Another important resource group is Women on the Verge, founded in 2012 to raise funds to provide educational financial assistance for college, vocational school, and certification programs for the youth served by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County. Net proceeds are earmarked for post-high school scholarships, including college tuition, vocational training, and expenses. Nearly $100,000 has been distributed to students in need since Women on the Verge was established in 2013. 

 

We believe every child is born with incredible potential, and we are committed to continuously evaluating and improving our programs to ensure our Bigs are equipped to defend that potential.