You don't have to create potential, you just have to defend it.
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches youth who need mentors with volunteers in the Fargo-Moorhead community to form safe, caring friendships. BBBS is America’s leader in one-to-one youth service, with over a century of proven success in creating positive mentoring friendships that benefit children, volunteers, families, neighborhoods, and communities. Mentoring changes the world.
You can defend potential on your lunch hour once a week, or by spending a couple hours with a kid twice a month. BBBS has impacted over 2 million lives over the past 10 years. Make that number larger and join us today!
About BBBS
Mentoring changes lives
Big Brothers Big Sisters is America’s leader in one-to-one youth service. BBBS has over a century of proven success in creating positive friendships that benefit children, volunteers, families, neighborhoods, and communities. In the Fargo-Moorhead area, BBBS has been a program of The Village Family Service Center since 1973. School-based mentoring was added in 1998.
Together, We Are Defenders of Potential
National research reveals that Littles are more likely to show positive behaviors in school and at home than children not matched with a Big. Our matches are effective because professional staff ensure that the relationships are safe and rewarding for everyone involved.
Be a Big!
Do something big
It is not hard to be a Big Brother or Big Sister. You and your Little will share all sorts of experiences. Ask 10 Bigs what they do with their Little and you will get 10 different answers. BBBS works hard to match mentors with a Little Brother or Little Sister who shares your personality and temperament, so your friendship will grow as naturally as possible. Simply by spending time together, you will help to clear the path to a child's biggest possible future!
Enroll a Child
When thinking of a mentoring program, think Big Brothers Big Sisters. We are an organization that is changing the world. We have a history of helping youth right here in Fargo-Moorhead. The BBBS approach to recruiting, screening, matching, and supporting our mentoring relationships has resulted in thousands of lasting friendships, and helped change the lives of young people across the country. By enrolling your child as a Little Brother or Little Sister, you can ignite their potential.
BBBS Advisory Committee
Want to be a part of something bigger? Want to make a difference in the lives of youth in the Fargo-Moorhead community? Big Brothers Big Sisters is looking for individuals to serve on the program’s Advisory Committee. You would serve as a program ambassador, communicator, and network with others in the community. We are looking for people with passion, energy, and enthusiasm who would be committed to spending 2 to 4 hours a month.
The committee typically meets once a month. Subcommittees and task groups provide additional opportunities to serve. Members may serve two 2-year terms. To apply, please fill out this online form.
History of Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Beginning
BBBS began in 1904, when a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.
READ MORE: History That Spans More Than a Century
In Fargo-Moorhead, the organization traces its roots back to 1966, and we have been a program of The Village Family Service Center since 1973. School-based mentoring was added in 1998.
Big Brothers Big Sisters' evidence-based mentoring programs are designed to create positive, measurable outcomes for youth, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships.
Today
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Village Family Service Center is not changing, because the need in our community is more urgent than ever. New brand positioning allows Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Village Family Service Center to grow and evolve in order to meet the need in Fargo-Moorhead by recruiting more volunteers and creating more one-to-one mentoring relationships.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has always seen incredible potential in every child. Everyone in our community, from parents and guardians to prospective volunteers to donors and supporters, can help defend the potential inherent in our country's youth and help them achieve their biggest possible future.
Why Donate
Our mission is urgent
Support from individuals like you is vital to provide mentors for children in your community. We know they need them. It isn’t easy being a kid these days. In these complex and confusing times, children need a caring adult to be a mentor and a friend – someone they can talk to, have fun with, and learn from. We can change the world ... with your help.
Our mentoring works
Kids with a Big Brother or Big Sister show real differences in their personal and academic lives. They are:
- More confident in their school performance
- Able to get along better with their families
- 52% less likely to skip school
Our facts are straightforward
92.2% of every dollar you give goes directly to making and supporting matches. The remainder covers overall program administration. Charity Navigator, the country’s premier independent charity evaluator, has repeatedly awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of America a 4-star “exceptional” rating for outstanding fiscal management.
Donating will help to:
- Recruit new Big Brother and Big Sister volunteers
- Cover the costs of background checks and insurance, while ensuring trained professionals match children to caring and responsible Bigs
- Offer one-on-one, ongoing supervision and support for every match
- Provide cultural and social activities to enrich the opportunities for children
Where we get the money to empower Littles
2023 Financial Statement Information
- 17.4% BBBSA Grants
- 21.5% Program Contributions (such as donor gifts)
- 27.1% Private Grants
- 34.0% Fundraising Events
Empower a Little today
When you donate online to Big Brothers Big Sisters, you stand with children in the Fargo-Moorhead community. No matter how much you give, donating will empower the lives of young people in your community. Your donation will defend their potential.
Contact BBBS
Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Village Family Service Center
2701 12th Ave. S.
Fargo, ND 58103
Our Staff
Susan Smith | Program Director
701-451-4875 | Email Susan
Rachel Peterson | Enrollment and Match Support Specialist
701-451-4867 | Email Rachel
Sydney Rakoczy | Match Support Specialist
701-451-4872 | Email Sydney
Sam Roehrich | Customer Relations Match Specialist
701-451-4877 | Email Sam
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