Two men smiling in a photo from 1970 and a photo from present day
Willy Gomez and his little from 1990
Big Brothers Big Sisters Historical Article
Big Sister Veronica with her Little Sister Marisela smiling in 1990
Two men smiling and holding a photo of themselves in 1980

HISTORY THAT SPANS MORE THAN A CENTURY

For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change kids’ perspectives and giving them the opportunity to reach their potential. And we have more than a century of volunteers, donors, and advocates just like you to thank.

It all started in 1904, when a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.

At around the same time, the members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. That group would later become Catholic Big Sisters.

Both groups continued to work 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 into the lives of children. And, today, Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states—and in 12 countries around the world.

Here is a look at our history, from the start:

1902 1902
1903 1903
1912 1912
1917 1917
1923 1923
1934 1934
1951 1951
1977 1977
1995 1995
2004 2004
2010 2010
2020 2020

1902

Ernest Coulter, court clerk, helps organize the first New York Children’s Court; Ladies of Charity, later Catholic Big Sisters of New York, starts to befriend girls who come before the New York Children’s Court.

1903

Businessman Irvin F. Westheimer befriends a young boy in Cincinnati, OH; seeds are formed for the start of Big Brothers in Cincinnati.

1912

The New York Times reports Big Brothers activity in 26 cities.

1917

The first national conference of Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations is held in Grand Rapids, MI.

1923

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., becomes treasurer of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Federation;
First motion picture based on a Big and Little Brother relationship is released by Paramount Pictures.

1934

President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt become patrons of Big Brothers and Big Sisters Federation.

1951

The Big Brothers of the Year program begins, Associate Justice Tom Clark of the U.S. Supreme Court and J. Edgar Hoover are named.

1977

Big Sisters International and Big Brothers Association merge, forming Big Brothers Big Sisters of America with 357 agencies.

1995

Public/Private Ventures Study on Big Brothers Big Sisters Community-Based Mentoring shows measurable, positive results on youth who have a Big Brother or Sister, seminal research in the field of youth mentoring.

2004

Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates 100 years of serving America’s youth.

2010

President Obama holds a White House National Mentoring Month Ceremony; Big Brothers Big Sisters attends and plays a key role.

2020

Artis Stevens named new President and CEO of BBBSA, the first black CEO to lead the organization in it’s 116 year history.

Youth in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward Program*

100% Graduated from high school
Improved in emotional regulation, social competence, and school connectedness.
99% Stayed out of the juvenile justice system

*Based on our Annual Report 2022

DEDICATED TO CREATING AND SUPPORTING ONE-TO-ONE MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS THAT IGNITE THE POWER AND PROMISE OF YOUTH.