DENVER, COLORADO—Better Business Bureau serving Greater Denver and Central Colorado is excited to announce that October’s Charity of the Month was Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado (BBBSC).
Click here to view our video about the Charity of the Month selection.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national leader among mentoring organizations, devoted to creating meaningful and measurable life change in the children they serve through professionally-supported one-to-one mentoring programs.
In 2018, the Colorado branch of the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary and support of 1,800 mentoring relationships between “bigs” and “littles” (mentors and mentees).
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado employs evidence-based practices to create a dynamic learning culture, which provides positive outcomes for youth in the areas of educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, socio-emotional competencies, self-confidence, and relationships.
Locally, the organization saw the following impressive results among youth participating in the program for at least a year:
- 95% improved or maintained in the area of “Social Acceptance”—this is linked to school achievement, improved conduct, and lower likelihood of dropping out of school.
- 93% improved or maintained in “Scholastic Competency”—this is linked to improved mental health and higher grades.
- 88% improved or maintained their grades – this is linked to school achievement and increased high school graduation rates.
- 75% improved or maintained in “Educational Expectations”—this has been shown to have a longitudinal association with school performance and standardized test scores.
- 88% improved or maintained in “Risk Attitudes”—these are linked to risky or delinquent behaviors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado’s outstanding work received BBB’s recognition in 2013 when the organization won Denver’s BBB Torch Award for ethics in the nonprofit category. In 2016, BBBSC won both the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s “Large Nonprofit of the Year” and ColoradoBiz’s “Top Company” Award in the nonprofit category.
For those looking to get involved, BBBSC offers several mentoring programs, with focuses that range from athletics, to academic and professional achievement, to an emphasis on serving the military community.
Coloradoans can also provide monetary contributions that support the cost of creating and sustaining matches between bigs and littles.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado accepts donations in the form of event tickets, events and fundraisers, and vehicles as well.
This month, the BBB cares committee donated a tailgate gift basket to the organization’s Big Night Out fundraiser auction.
BBB encourages consumers to consult give.org to find trusted charity organizations.
ABOUT BBB: BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. All BBB services to consumers are free of charge. BBB provides objective advice, free BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.3 million businesses, 11,000 Charity Reviews, dispute resolution services, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information.
