Transforming Lives
Founder of the nationwide Big Sisters movement in 1902, Bigs & Littles NYC Mentoring Services strives to transform the lives of children through one-to-one mentoring, while strengthening entire families in hardship.
We know that children can only be as healthy as their families. Therefore, unlike other mentoring programs, Bigs & Littles NYC also provides intensive support for parents, who are predominantly single mothers, dramatically increasing the likelihood for short and long-term youth success.
Building on 120 years of expertise in one-to-one mentoring and strengthening entire families and a long history of addressing bereavement, the Caring Through COVID Mentoring Program matches young people who have lost loved ones due to the pandemic, and Asian American youth coping with rising bias attacks, hate crimes and bullying due to COVID-19, providing the additional support of a caring volunteer mentor and professional staff seasoned in relationship building, crisis counseling and comprehensive family strengthening services. Our priority is to offer a vital sense of continuity, community and comfort. It has been reported that nearly 4,200 children in New York State have lost a parent or caregiver; 57% of these children live in the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens, and numbers are highest among Black and Hispanic children. Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 150% mostly in New York & Los Angeles. Losing a parent or caregiver during childhood raises a child’s risk of developing a range of poor outcomes over their lifetime, including poorer mental and physical health.
Bigs & Littles NYC Mentoring's emergency fund ensures continued mentoring services and critical assistance to our constituents, which could include things such as child care, wages lost, bills, internet access, computers, and meals that they would normally get in school.