Legacy of Mentorship
Since 1977, BBBS has been a steadfast provider of caring mentors for children in need of a champion. School-aged children in grades K-12 from throughout Forsyth County can benefit from our local services. In fact, during the past 40 years, more than 20,000 children in our community have found that having an advocate helps them achieve success in life, and these mentoring relationships have proven to deepen their social connections. This makes ours a stronger and more vibrant place to live and work.

Big Brothers Big Sisters launched Bigger Together during the 2024–2025 school year — a bold initiative aimed at expanding our reach and serving more youth across Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. After a purposeful first year focused on building a strong foundation, we’re excited to grow the initiative even further in year two, deepening our impact and connecting more young people with the mentors they deserve. This effort responds directly to the growing number of mentorship requests from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) and the broader community. By establishing site-based mentoring programs in local schools and at our Mentoring Center, we aim to make mentorship more accessible and impactful for both youth and adult volunteers. With the partnership and generosity of our community, we can meet this urgent need—providing life-changing relationships for young people facing adversity and offering more flexible, meaningful ways for adults to get involved.

Our Mission
All children benefit from a nurturing environment and will blossom with the support of strong role models who can teach them and encourage them. BBBS is a special organization because it invests in each individual child’s needs in a one-to-one partnership between a professionally selected mentor and a child facing adversity. It is a process that absolutely works, leading to improved relationships with peers and family, avoiding risky behaviors, and academic success. The recent Youth Outcome Survey reports: 89% of its participants improved their ability to avoid risky behavior, 95% reported improvement in school, and 82% were less likely to skip school. One facet of our current work we currently do to support the youth in our community is partnering with local schools. Children are served in one or both of the following ways: through one-to-one mentorship with a community volunteer (“Big”) or a BBBS staff member paired with a youth (“Little”) or through group mentoring facilitated by BBBS staff. Bigs in our school-based program commit to meet regularly with their Littles throughout the school year. It is common for Bigs to report that the personal reward they receive is far greater than the time they have given to their Littles. Several area matches have established relationships that have remained connected for more than 30 years.

Expansion To Serve More Youth
Big Brothers Big Sisters has demonstrated consistent growth in our school-based mentoring programs. In the 2023–2024 school year, we served 112 students across seven partner schools—four elementary, one middle, and two high schools. By the 2024–2025 school year, that number grew to 160 students in thirteen schools, including six elementary, four middle, and three high schools. Depending on the needs of each school, we provided both one-to-one and group mentoring formats. We also launched a pilot initiative pairing high school students as mentors to middle school students, creating new pathways for youth leadership and connection. Additionally, we formalized a new partnership with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS), matching 21 district-level staff members in one-to-one site-based mentorships with students in our partner schools.

Right now, more than 150 children in our community—many not currently enrolled in a partner school—are waiting to be matched with a caring mentor, and that number continues to grow. Our existing school partners, along with other schools, are actively requesting our support to bring mentorship into their communities. To meet this increasing demand, we must expand our site-based programming—by serving more youth in schools and launching additional mentoring opportunities at the BBBS Mentoring Center. With the right support, we can reach more youth, reduce our waitlist, and ensure every child who needs a mentor has access to one. The time to act is now.

Funding Expansion
BBBS is seeking to raise $1,000,000 over the next four years to support the expansion of our site-based mentoring programs—both in local schools and at our BBBS Mentoring Center. This expanded model will create more accessible and consistent opportunities for mentorship by bringing the community directly into schools and into our dedicated mentoring space. Through this effort, we aim to strengthen connections among community members, school and district leaders, educators, and the youth we serve. BBBS will be at the heart of this collaborative movement—helping to foster meaningful relationships and drive lasting, positive change throughout our community.

Bigger Together is a vital site-based mentoring initiative from Big Brothers Big Sisters that needs your support. Funding will enable us to significantly expand our reach and impact, and will:

1. Equip BBBS to respond swiftly and effectively to the growing demand for mentorship from local schools and the broader community;

2. Expand our site-based programming to serve more youth—not only in additional partner schools but also in our current schools and among community youth not yet benefitting from mentorship; 

3. Enrich the BBBS experience for all participants by increasing trained staff capacity to support volunteers and youth, ensuring the delivery of high-quality programming that promotes social and emotional growth.

Through strong partnerships with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, local churches, and community organizations, we are well-positioned to recruit, screen, train, and professionally match new volunteers to meet rising demand. Youth are identified for participation by school staff, referred by healthcare providers, or enrolled by parents and guardians. With the support of our partner schools, BBBS staff obtain consent from parents or guardians and conduct interviews with each youth participant.

Above all, child safety and protection remain our top priorities. BBBS staff maintain close supervision of every mentoring relationship, conducting regular monthly check-ins with each match to ensure consistency, support, and safety.

Goals and Program Evaluation

The quality and strength of the mentoring relationships created due to expansion of school-based programming will be measured using evidence-based tools: the Youth and Child Outcome Surveys (YOS & COS), the Program Outcome Evaluation (POE) and other assessment mechanisms. These tools are administered at the beginning of the youth’s enrollment in the mentoring program and again at the end of the school year as the primary measurement tools. Positive changes in survey and evaluation responses indicate positive movement towards achievement of the program’s goals. The primary goals of  site-based expansion for the youth in our programs are:

1. Higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships

2. Greater avoidance of Risky Behaviors

3. Educational Success

Conclusion

Since 1977, Big Brothers Big Sisters has built a proven track record of creating impactful, lasting mentoring relationships that strengthen the fabric of our community. Our partnerships with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and other community stakeholders reflect the trust placed in BBBS as a leader in youth development and mentorship.

Now, more than ever, the call to action is clear. By coming together to invest in the expansion of our site-based programs, we can ensure that more children and youth—regardless of their circumstances—have the support, guidance, and opportunities they need to thrive. With your support, we can build a stronger future, one mentoring relationship at a time.