United Way Helps Here

 Our Corporate Partner

Our Programs

Types of Programs

Our programs are designed to serve youth by providing them with safe, quality mentoring relationships that help them reach their full potential by:

  • improving their sense of self and community;
  • achieving a greater sense and awareness of their future; and
  • improving their school performance.

We serve youth through these core programs:

Denver

  • Community Based Mentoring - Bigs and Littles choose their own activities and get together several times per month over the course of a year. Staff members support these relationships and plan enrichment activities.
  • Impact School Mentoring Program - Mentors in the Impact Schools Mentoring Program are matched with 3rd - 5th graders who attend either Cole Arts and Science Academy in Denver or Dalton Elementary in Aurora. Impact bigs meet their Little two to four times a month to have fun and share activities in both the community and school settings.
  • REACH Mentoring - Focuses on serving children of incarcerated parents.  Bigs and Littles choose their own activities and get together several times per month over the course of a year. Staff members support these relationships and plan enrichment activities. 
  • Sports Buddies Program - Bigs and Littles participate in agency-supervised and organized match activities including attending and playing team sports.
  • Team BIG - Provides optional goal based activities for matches in our community based program. Each quarter will have a new theme for example, the arts, physical wellbeing, and science and engineering. There will be 3-4 activities for each theme and a list of other ideas the matches can utilize to meet their goal in each area.  

 

    

Pikes Peak

  • Community Based Mentoring - Bigs and Littles choose their own activities and get together several times per month over the course of a year. Staff members support these relationships and plan enrichment activities.
  • REACH Mentoring - Focuses on serving children of incarcerated parents.  Bigs and Littles choose their own activities and get together several times per month over the course of a year. Staff members support these relationships and plan enrichment activities. 
  • Operation Mentor – Provides children of deployed military parents with the support they need during their parent’s deployments. Bigs and Littles choose their own activities and get together several times per month over the course of a year. Staff members support these relationships and plan enrichment activities.
  • School-Based Mentoring - Bigs and Littles meet once per week at the child’s school during lunch and recess to eat, play games and talk. Staff will provide focus topics and activities each week around social-awareness, self-awareness, social-engagement and self-management that the Big can choose to use with their Little. The Big will have a chance to meet the teacher and help the child be a successful student.

  • Falcon Club - This program provides United States Air Force Academy Cadets an opportunity to engage in Colorado Springs community through mentoring.  Big Brothers Big Sisters facilitates fun, active and safe monthly match activities for the Cadet Bigs and their Littles.

  • Team BIG - Provides optional goal based activities for matches in our community based program. Each quarter will have a new theme for example, the arts, physical wellbeing, and science and engineering. There will be 3-4 activities for each theme and a list of other ideas the matches can utilize to meet their goal in each area.  

Mentoring Works!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's mentoring program is nationally recognized and proven to be effective:

  • The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at University of Colorado at Boulder recognizes Big Brothers Big Sisters as a "Blueprint" program with proven results.
  • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Dropout Prevention Center both recognize Big Brothers Big Sisters as a "model program."
  • The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention designated Big Brothers Big Sisters program a "Best Practice."
  • The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention rated Big Brothers Big Sisters as "effective."
  • The Children's Defense Fund states that mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters has been "proven successful" in prevention activities.
  • Forbes chose Big Brothers Big Sisters as one of its "top ten" most effective and well-run non-profit organizations in the United States.

As a result of participation, our Little Brothers and Little Sisters:

  • Have better attitudes towards school,
  • Get along better with adults and peers,
  • Have better self-esteem, and
  • Have a better sense of their future.

Kids we serve

We match youth in Metro Denver and Colorado Springs areas who are between the ages of 7 and 12 and can remain in the program until their 17. Children enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Community Program come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. The following are some common issues children in our program are facing or backgrounds they come from:

  • Children of a single parent.
  • Children of an incarcerated parent.
  • Children with one or both parents deceased.
  • Children in the custody of extended family members.
  • Children in the custody of foster parents.
  • Homeless children.
  • Children in temporary housing.
  • Children having experienced traumatic events in their lives.
  • Children having experienced neglect or abuse in the past.
  • Children needing guidance from a mentor outside their family.
  • Children with a deployed military parent.

Our programs are delivered 100% by community volunteers who generously give of their time to help youth. Children who may not be suited for our program are as follows:

  • Children currently in an abusive situation or who have not had outside counseling regarding an abusive situation (these children should seek professional counseling).
  • Children who do not want to be enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program.
  • Children who do not have permission from their legal guardian to be enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program.
  • Children of parents who are merely looking for a babysitter for their children.

Anyone can refer a child to our program including:

  • Parents
  • Extended Family Members
  • Neighbors or Family Friends
  • School Teachers
  • School Counselors
  • Outside or Private Counselors or Therapists
  • Coaches
  • Leaders of organizations such as Boy/Girl Scouts