Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County

Mission Statement

Our mission is to create and support mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Background Statement

Big Brothers Big Sisters is the nation’s largest and oldest mentoring organization. Since 1904, we have operated under the belief that inherent in every child is incredible potential. Our mentoring model was created on the premise of youth equity and empowerment, designed to meet kids where they are at and empower them with the skills to transform their lives and their communities. We create professionally-supported mentoring connections between volunteers (Bigs) and youth (Littles), ages 6 through young adulthood (24), that provide a direct, measurable, and lasting impact on their lives. With a mentor, youth are able to build the emotional intelligence and social capital necessary to achieve educational milestones, pursue a plan for their future, and improve their well-being and mental health. Established in 1958, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire has helped tens of thousands of youth facing adversity realize their potential and build their futures. Through mentorship, we are aiming to reduce the number of disconnected youth in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and build a future-proof workforce with the potential to change the world. To learn more about the organization, visit: www.ocbigs.org or www.iebigs.org.

Impact Statement

Accomplishments: 1) 98% of our mentees graduate from high school on time and 88% matriculate into college. 2) We impacted 3,592 youth in Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties in 2023. 3) Our site-based mentoring programs have grown to include local partnerships with 81 K-12 Education partners, 9 Higher Education partners, 209 Corporate partners, and 129 Community partners. Top goals for the future: 1) Emphasis on College and Career Success: High school seniors will graduate on time with a pathway to a living wage career and a network of BBBS alumni support. 2) Emphasis on Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Mentored youth will show improvement in education and human development. 3) Emphasis on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: Every child we mentor, regardless of ethnicity, income, or gender identity, will achieve measurable life success

Needs Statement

We need: 1) More Volunteer Mentors: With hundreds of youth on our waitlist, our biggest need is for qualified, adult role models that will volunteer at least a year of their time. We particularly need male mentors. We provide the training, resources and support necessary for each match to succeed. While the youth we serve face significant life challenges, they have reached out to BBBS because they are looking for someone to be in their corner and provide the advice and support of mentorship that can change lives. 2) More Community Partnerships: Beyond 1:1 mentoring match support, we also offer our families and volunteers a full range of wraparound support systems through our Youth & Family Impact Department, such as College & Career Support and Physical/Mental/Financial Health Resources. We are in need of ongoing collaboration and partnerships with local school districts, higher education, and community resource partners. 3) More Program Support: We provide professional support and match relationship supervision to every Big, Little, and family we serve. We offer training, oversight and advice to ensure child safety, improve socio-emotional support, and to help youth receive appropriate academic and/or career tutoring. We are equipping our case management, mentors with resources, and tools to help turn educational success into lifelong success.

Geographic Areas Served

Every city in Orange County, and metro Riverside County and San Bernardino County (Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Colton, Chino, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Rialto, Redlands, Upland and San Bernardino).

Top Three Populations Served

Latinos
Households with limited English proficiency
Immigrants and Refugees

Statement from the CEO/Executive Director

Mentorship has never been more important or more relevant. As Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Vivek H. Murthy noted, “loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being. But we have the power to respond. By taking small steps every day to strengthen our relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connection, we can rise to meet this moment together.” The Surgeon General has also pointed out that mentorship programs are one of the best ways to help students build this connection. Mentorship is the solution. Students in our mentoring programs achieve major milestones that are indicative of long-term success — first generation high school diplomas, postsecondary planning and ultimately a living-wage job. Mentorship is the social fabric that holds communities together and we are committed to cultivating more caring and connected youth in our cities. Thank you for your support to combat isolation with connection. We are bigger together!

Statement from the Board Chair/President

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CEO/Executive Director

Sloane Keane

CEO/Executive Director Experience

Sloane Keane is an advocate for social change through youth mentorship. She joined Big Brothers Big Sisters in 2013 as the director of development, charged with creating new funding strategies that tripled agency revenue and doubled the number of matches supported annually. Since becoming CEO in 2018, Keane has continued the growth trajectory for the network’s second-largest agency nationwide. She is committed to strengthening the organization’s impact on disconnected youth across Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardo counties.