Big Brothers Big Sisters serving Riley County

Goal: $20,000.00

Specific Need

$1,500 is just around what it costs to fund a mentoring relationship for one year. Why does it cost money to match Riley County youth with a mentor if Bigs are volunteers? While we do have amazing community volunteers as Bigs, creating a safe and effective match is not that simple. Our professionally trained Match Support Specialists who operate as case workers work to ensure that safety by: conducting interviews, finding a best fit match, supporting the match through monthly and quarterly calls, and providing life skill opportunities to our Littles. Our mission is elevated through supporters like you.

Mission

Mission: To create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Vision: That all Kansas youth earn a living wage by age 25.

Profile

We believe all youth have potential and deserve the opportunity to achieve success in life.

By matching youth facing adversity with a caring adult mentor in a one-to-one mentoring relationship, our Bigs help inspire greater self confidence, better academic performance, and dreams for the future that will change their life for the better, forever.

We serve Kansas youth ages 5 to 25 who are facing a variety of challenges related to self-confidence, friendships, school, or family situations.

Because we recognize entering adulthood is a pivotal time in our Little’s lives, we offer the opportunity to remain matched through age 25 for guidance and support navigating life as a young adult with the vision that they will earn a living wage by 25.

The outcomes of our mission for Littles is one of many KSBBBS success stories. The youth we serve in Riley County face adversity in many forms as seen below.

68% have Household income less than $35k
65% have family who's had contact with law enforcement
47% experienced some type of abuse at home
53% have issues at school
59% are isolated, have few or no friends, or are bullied

Independent research indicates that BBBS one-to-one mentoring has a life-long impact on youth served. Former Littles surveyed revealed:

Over half earn 10% more than the average median household income
77% performed better in school, & said their mentor kept them from dropping out of high school
90% reported their mentor made them feel better about themselves
29% hold leadership roles in their workplace or community