2018 was an amazing year!
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the extraordinary donors, supporters, volunteers, and staff who helped make this another remarkable year. Your generous commitment to our mission helps provide the critical resources needed to increase our impact and truly make a difference in the lives of children facing adversity in the Denver metro and Colorado Springs regions.
2018 marked Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado’s Centennial Anniversary year, celebrating 100 years of service to the Colorado community since our year of incorporation, 1918. During the last century, we estimate that 75,000 youth have benefited from the proven power of one-to-one mentoring. Furthermore, our mentors invested 3.8 million volunteer hours into mentoring and supporting Colorado’s youth. This truly astounding impact wouldn’t have been possible without the Bigs, Littles, volunteers, and community members who have supported, mentored, and cared for us over the last 100 years. We have had the unique opportunity to reconnect with many of these supporters this year, and we look forward to hearing from more in the future.
It is timely that during our Centennial Anniversary year we also expanded our mentor2.0 program in order to be able to serve more youth year after year. Launched in 2015, mentor2.0 is a technology-enhanced, school-based, one-to-one mentoring program that has helped ensure more than 600 high school students will graduate prepared for post-secondary education and the workforce. In 2018, we began programming at EnglewoodHigh School and the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS), adding to our current high school partners: Sheridan High School and Atlas Preparatory School. With the addition of these schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado will serve 175 new students each year.
As we look forward to the next 100 years, we have also refreshed our brand in order to relay the urgency of our mission and ensure we are reaching as many youth as possible. Did you know that more than 80,000 children throughout the Denver and Pikes Peak regions live below the poverty line? Additionally, 34% of children in Denver and 29% in Pikes Peak live under the care of a single parent or guardian. These children are most in need of strong and enduring mentoring relationships. This year we provided more than 1,700 children facing adversity with professionally supported mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. We know from research, and 100 years of our own experience, that spending time with a child through mentoring works, leading to improved grades in school, decreases in risky and delinquent behaviors, and increases in self-confidence.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado is an essential asset to our community, strengthening the network of services available to vulnerable families and contributing to the developmental, educational, and life-long success of our youth. Through our proven one-to-one mentoring programs, we are truly changing the lives of youth today as they grow into future community leaders and engaged citizens.