Founded in 1973, the agency began for single parent families with the kids ages of 8-18, with a focus on males without fathers. At that time, Big Brothers, Big Sisters was only available for children in the Dover/New Philadelphia area. In 1982 the agency officially registered as ‘Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio’ with the national program. Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central now serves children in Tuscarawas, Carroll and Harrison County.
Our mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
That all youth achieve their full potential.
Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to support our mission of empowering youth through mentoring.
Our board members are local advocates committed to supporting youth in our community.
President of the Board
Vice President of the Board
Treasurer
Secretary
Here are some commonly asked questions about Big Brothers Big Sisters and their answers:
Our Bigs come from diverse backgrounds, just like our Littles. Just about anyone can be a mentor. You don’t need any special degrees or job skills, simply a caring heart, a good head on your shoulders, and the willingness to be a reliable mentor for a Little.. Current Bigs are teachers, business executives, police officers, healthcare workers, college students, retirees, laborers, and more.
In order to participate in community-based mentoring, you must be 18 years or older. However, if you are younger, you can still mentor in a school-based mentoring program. In relationships that have a high school student as a Big, not only does the Little thrive under the mentor’s positive influence, but the Big is also empowered by taking on the responsibility of serving as a mentor and a role model for someone else. This may be a great way for your high school children to get involved as well!
For Community-Based mentoring, the details are flexible, and it is the Big’s responsibility to coordinate mentoring sessions with the Little’s guardian. The minimum meeting requirements for Community-Based matches is to meet at least four hours each month, in the community.
For Community-Based mentoring, your Mentoring Specialist will set up a time and place for you to meet your Little. It is critical for the relationship that you arrive on time for the initial meeting to ensure the relationship gets off on the right foot. Your Little’s parent or parents will be present, so you have a chance to meet them, as well – and so they have a chance to meet you.
During the initial match proposal over the phone, you will have received information about your Little’s life situation in order to help prepare you for your match.
For School-Based mentoring, you will meet your Little at an introduction session to get to know each other.
The quality of time with your Little is more important than the amount of money you spend, which is why we don’t encourage spending a lot of money on gifts or outings. The goal of the relationship is to help your Little see the world through a different lens, so he/she can understand the potential that he/she has and join you in defending it. If you are going to spend money, we encourage you to seek out low-cost activities, especially in the beginning. You can:
BBBSECO also offers group activities that are a great way to meet other Bigs and Littles, as well as occasionally has free (donated) tickets to cultural and sports activities for you both to enjoy.
Once you are matched with your Little, a Mentoring Specialist from the agency will be in regular contact with you to provide assistance and to give feedback. Any time you are unsure about what to do or how to handle a situation, your Mentoring Specialist will be able to help. Your Mentoring Specialist can help you come up with ideas for activities, provide guidance for handling difficult situations, and give feedback on how you are making a difference. Please also feel free to reach out to your Mentoring Specialist with stories of successes and other milestones that your Little reaches! For School-Based mentoring, BBBSECO staff will always be on site while you are volunteering, so feel free to reach out to them at any time.
We connect youth in Tuscarawas, Carroll and Harrison County with community and school-based mentors, empowering them to reach their full potential.
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