Our Impact
2020 / 2021
92% - of youth took action steps toward their future, such as being accepted into college, are waiting to hear back from admissions offices, applied for scholarships, and/or started working.
96% - of the youth improved socially, emotionally, academically and in prosocial behaviors.
95% - of students maintained or improved school grades.
93% - of students maintained or improved school attendance.
89% - of students maintained or improved behavior.
89% - of students were promoted to the next grade.
83% - of the students gained professional development, life skills and College readiness.
Our History
For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters have been helping change kids’ perspectives and supplying opportunities to reach their potential. And we have more than a century of volunteers, donors, and advocates just like you to thank. Since 1986, Big Brothers Big Sisters has supplied mentoring to children in Martin County. In 2010, the Martin County agency expanded into Palm Beach County, creating an overall territory of over 2,000 square miles (about twice the area of Yosemite National Park) and a population of over 1.5 million residents (about the population of West Virginia). Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties is proud of its accomplishments, collaborations, and awards over the past thirty-five years and strives for excellence.
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.
1904 - Ernest Coulter founds the organized Big Brothers movement by obtaining 39 volunteers, who each agree to befriend one boy.
1912 - The New York Times reports Big Brothers activity in 26 cities.
1914 - Ernest Coulter embarks on nationwide lecture tour on behalf of Big Brothers; planning begins for a national Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization.
1923 - First motion picture based on a Big and Little Brother relationship is released by Paramount Pictures.
1925 - President Calvin Coolidge becomes patron of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Federation.
1930 - Six hundred delegates attend a Big Brothers and Big Sisters Federation meeting in New York City.
1934 - President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt become patrons of Big Brothers and Big Sisters Federation.
1948 - Norman Rockwell produces the sketch that becomes a symbol for the Big Brothers Association.
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.
1970 - Big Sisters International is incorporated.
1977 - Big Sisters International and Big Brothers Association merge, forming Big Brothers Big Sisters of America with 357 agencies.
1986 - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Martin County begin to serve local youth.
1997 - 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.
1998 - Big Brothers Big Sisters International is founded.
2004 - Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates 100 years of serving America’s youth.
2007 - Martin Counties Chapter Selected as Top 35 of Big Brothers Big Sisters Agencies Nationwide
2010 -Big Brothers Big Sisters of Martin County expands to serve youth in Palm Beach County officially becoming Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
2019 - Receive Sun Sentinel Doyle Award for Nonprofit Excellence.
2020 - Nearly 580 youth, mentors, and parents stay connected throughout the pandemic utilizing best practices in digital mentoring.
2021 - Collaborate in Digital Mentoring Research with iCouldBe, Mentor and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2021 - Celebrate 35th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties by launching innovative program enhancements to focus on reading, writing, social capital building, career exploration, sports, and more.