Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region

Description

We have been the area's leader in establishing and supporting "one-to-one" mentoring relationships -- or friendships -- since 1981. We are currently serving over 1,000 children throughout Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon and Perry Counties. Our bigs (volunteers), our littles (children) and our families are as diverse as the colors of a rainbow. They come from all walks of life and hail from Harrisburg to Hershey, Shippensburg to Carlisle, Lebanon to Palmyra and West Perry to West Enola. But what they all have in common is a desire to be part of something big and to bring a little magic into their own lives or the life of a child. But it's not just children that we're reaching - our volunteers say they get as much if not more out of the friendships as do the children.

As an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, we have both the national and local research - as well as the input from the children we serve and volunteers we work with - that proves our services work. Children who have a Big Brother or Sister do better in school, get along better with peers and adults, are less likely to skip school or initiate drug or alcohol use, and are less likely to hit others than their peers who do not have mentors.