Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas began in 1967 when a group of men from five local churches saw a need in the Highland Courts Area and 15 men stepped forward to become mentors. The program targeted kids from single parent households. The efforts of these men helped give birth to a program that has not only survived, but has grown to be the most respected and effective mentoring and youth development program in this community. Big Sisters were added to the program in 1983. In 1989, an amendment to the Articles of Incorporation changed the agency name to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. We are a full affiliate in good standing with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. We have been a United Way agency since 1970. From the beginning we offered our core community program which matches a Big Brother or Sister with a child who they pick up approximately once per week and spend time together. In 1999, we added school-based mentoring called Bigs In School (BIS). In contrast to the community-based program, where parents request services, teachers and school personnel refer children to the BIS program. As a result, the BIS program reaches children at high risk who otherwise might not benefit from a mentoring relationship.