Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, NY

Mission Statement

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, NY operates under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. BBBSOC mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. By partnering with families, volunteers and others in the community, BBBSOC is accountable for each enrolled child achieving higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors and educational success.

BBBSOC targets its mentoring programs towards youth facing the following adversities: youth from low income families and/or disadvantaged areas; youth of incarcerated parents; youth with disabilities, both physical and behavioral; juvenile justice involved youth; youth in foster homes; youth who are physically or sexually abused; underperforming students; students at risk of dropping out of school; youth of immigrant families; and youth with one or more parents in the military.

Big Brothers Big Sisters focuses on evidence-based, successful, long-term mentoring and we report our outcomes. BBBSOC evidence-based programs seek to address social, emotional, and behavioral concerns, and in doing so ensure children a much better chance at achieving a happy and productive life in the future. It has been found that social support for children and a sense of hopefulness are protective factors against the development of both internalizing and externalizing problems, regardless of the number of stressful life events a child may have experienced. Furthermore, studies have shown that the nationally recognized BBBSA model can ameliorate children's lives in the areas of academics, relationships and avoidance of risk behaviors.