Welcome to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio!

The Community-Based program of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio matches a child between the ages of 5 to 14 who could benefit from the friendship of a Big Brother or Big Sister volunteer. Married couples can also spend time together mentoring one child and find this option easy and fun! Bigs in this program must be 18 years of age or older and be able to make at least a one-year commitment to a child. You can volunteer by yourself or with your spouse. Each participant will complete an individual interview and attend training prior to being matched with your Little.

A Big is someone who can build a friendship with a child. Many of our volunteers report getting more out of the relationship than they put in. Be part of the magic - start today!

Special Mentoring Populations

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio also partners with various community groups to extend its community based mentoring program into special populations. Currently, the agency collaborates with the following groups to create community based one to one matches:

Mentors include corporate volunteers, college students and high school students, as well as individuals from the community and faith-based organizations. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides on-site supervision, program coordination and serves as liaison between collaborating partners. In addition, Big Brothers Big Sisters maintains partnerships with other agencies that offer new or existing mentoring programs. Big Brothers Big Sisters consults with each school-based program to assist with defining program parameters and the extent to which Big Brothers Big Sisters support services will be included in the collaboration.

Big Brothers Big Sisters operates School-Based Mentoring programs in the following school systems: Big Walnut Schools, Buckeye Valley Schools, Columbus City Schools, Delaware City Schools, Grandview Heights Schools, Fairbanks Schools, Marysville Schools, North Union Schools, Olentangy Local Schools, South-Western City Schools, Upper Arlington Schools, Westerville City Schools and Whitehall City Schools.

Some specific School-Based Mentoring programs include:

Today in the United States, there are approximately 2.4 million children who have one or more incarcerated parents. This staggering statistic is brought home as we consider what is happening to the children affected by a parent incarceration in the state of Ohio. Statistics show that an overwhelming seventy percent of these children are at risk to enter a juvenile correctional system or to become incarcerated as well.

These devastating statistics have led to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio to form a new mentoring initiative known as AMACHI. AMACHI is a unique program that is currently being offered in only 16 cities across the United States. "Amachi" is a West African word that means "Who knows but what God has brought us through this child". This is a one-to-one mentoring program that matches children (ages 5-17) of incarcerated parents with volunteers from the community.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact:

Jennifer Voit
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio
1855 E. Dublin Granville Road
Columbus, Ohio 43229
614-839-2447, ext. 158






Individual Mentoring *Community-Based Mentoring Programs* The Community-Based program of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio matches a child between the ages of 5 to 14 who could benefit from the friendship of a Big Brother or Big Sister volunteer. Married couples can also spend time together mentoring one child and find this option easy and fun! Bigs in this program must be 18 years of age or older and be able to make at least a one-year commitment to a child. You can volunteer by yourself or with your spouse. Each participant will complete an individual interview and attend training prior to being matched with your Little. A Big is someone who can build a friendship with a child. Many of our volunteers report getting more out of the relationship than they put in. Be part of the magic - start today! Special Mentoring Populations Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio also partners with various community groups to extend its community based mentoring program into special populations. Currently, the agency collaborates with the following groups to create community based one to one matches: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. - Through a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the central Ohio agency has successfully established collaboration with the local chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the largest and oldest African American male fraternity in the country. This effort has earned the agency the Theodore S. Berry Award of Appreciation from the fraternity. Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters - This collaborative program with Jewish Family Services matches Jewish volunteers and youth ages 5 to 14 in one to one relationships. In addition to meeting twice a month as Bigs and Littles, members of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters participate in periodic group activities that focus on religious and cultural activities. The programs uniqueness is from the general ideal of enhancing Jewish Background through mentoring. There are currently 8 active participants and we are always looking for more! Tri-Village Mentor League - Big Brothers Big Sisters has partnered with members of the Tri-Village (Grandview, Upper Arlington and Marble Cliff) area to create one to one matches among volunteers and youth living in the Tri-Village area. For more information about volunteering as a Big Brother or Big Sister in the Community-Based Mentoring program call toll-free 866-892-BIGS (2447) or In Franklin County call: 614-839-2447 In Delaware County call: 740-369-2447 In Union County call: 937-645-3065 In Springfield call: 937-390-9900 School-Based Mentoring Programs School-Based programs, including Project Mentor, offer unique experiences between volunteer mentors and student mentees. Matches meet once a week at the same time in a designated location, usually at a school. Together, mentors and mentees focus on social/emotional development, as well as academic needs. Mentors include corporate volunteers, college students and high school students, as well as individuals from the community and faith-based organizations. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides on-site supervision, program coordination and serves as liaison between collaborating partners. In addition, Big Brothers Big Sisters maintains partnerships with other agencies that offer new or existing mentoring programs. Big Brothers Big Sisters consults with each school-based program to assist with defining program parameters and the extent to which Big Brothers Big Sisters support services will be included in the collaboration. Big Brothers Big Sisters operates School-Based Mentoring programs in the following school systems: Big Walnut Schools, Buckeye Valley Schools, Columbus City Schools, Delaware City Schools, Grandview Heights Schools, Fairbanks Schools, Marysville Schools, North Union Schools, Olentangy Local Schools, South-Western City Schools, Upper Arlington Schools, Westerville City Schools and Whitehall City Schools. Some specific School-Based Mentoring programs include: Chase Leadership Academy - Chase Leadership Academy matches employees at Chase as mentors to students from four high schools within the Columbus City School district. In Chase Leadership Academy, high school seniors develop skills that will make them valuable in the workplace. These include life and career skills as well as financial literacy. There is an annual formal graduation ceremony for seniors who complete the program. In addition, students who successfully graduate are can receive scholarships starting at $250. Project Mentor - The agency's largest School-Based Mentoring initiative, Project Mentor, is a collaborative effort of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio and Columbus City Schools, with Nationwide Foundation as the lead sponsor. Launched in 2007, Project Mentor surpassed its goal of matching 1,000 volunteer mentors with Columbus City School students its first year. Project Mentor's goal is to saturate Columbus City Schools with mentors from the community. For more information or to volunteer online, please visit www.projectmentorcolumbus.org. Amachi Today in the United States, there are approximately 2.4 million children who have one or more incarcerated parents. This staggering statistic is brought home as we consider what is happening to the children affected by a parent incarceration in the state of Ohio. Statistics show that an overwhelming seventy percent of these children are at risk to enter a juvenile correctional system or to become incarcerated as well. These devastating statistics have led to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio to form a new mentoring initiative known as AMACHI. AMACHI is a unique program that is currently being offered in only 16 cities across the United States. "Amachi" is a West African word that means "Who knows but what God has brought us through this child". This is a one-to-one mentoring program that matches children (ages 5-17) of incarcerated parents with volunteers from the community. If you are interested in learning more, please contact: Jennifer Voit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio 1855 E. Dublin Granville Road Columbus, Ohio 43229 614-839-2447, ext. 158 jvoit@bbbscentralohio.org



		1855 E Dublin-Granville Road Columbus, Ohio 43229 Phone: (614) 839-2447 Fax: (614) 839-4770
	e-mail: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio visit: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America