CHICAGO – Throughout January and February, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Chicago (BBBSChi) has opened four new neighborhood offices as part of its strategic plan to invest in communities where there is a high need for youth mentorship.
The agency has prioritized physical locations in North Chicago, Merrillville, Auburn Gresham and Homewood, as central regions to reach underserved communities and work to ensure every child has equitable access to positive mentors and opportunities.
Currently one in three kids are growing up without a positive adult mentor in their lives and the gap between mentorship and youth who need it most continues to widen due to perceived barriers of time and expertise needed to become a mentor.
These office openings are on the heels of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ nationwide campaign “It Takes Little to be Big.” The campaign uses real Big (“mentor”) and Little (“mentee”) stories to show that it’s simpler than you think to be a great mentor – and the power that little moments have to make a big impact on a child’s future.
“As a community-driven organization, we are committed to building a greater presence to reinforce that mentorship isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity,” says Jeremy Foster, BBBSChi President & CEO. “At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we know that a consistent mentor is the key to building resilience and enabling a child to succeed. Multiply that Big by thousands and you have transformational change. Between a national campaign and new physical locations, we know we can effectively reach more volunteer mentors, donors and families – and be there for every young person who is looking for a mentor in their life.”
BBBSChi’s office openings are part of the agency’s Drive for 5 – a strategic plan to serve 5,000 youth across Chicagoland. With these new locations, the goal is to increase Big Brothers Big Sisters’ reach and relevance, providing 500 kids in each region with the lasting impact of a mentor. Ultimately the Drive for 5 will enable BBBSChi to more than double the number of children and families they serve. BBBSChi first embarked on the Drive for 5 in 2019 with an office opening in Englewood and another location in the Austin neighborhood in 2022. The plan will be to open one final regional office in DuPage County in 2024.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Chicago was able to open its doors in these regions, thanks to foundational investments from community partners. Funding has been provided in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services to support BBBSChi’s Lake County Illinois expansion, including its North Chicago outreach office.
What: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Chicago Lake County Ribbon Cutting
When: February 15, 11am-12pm
Where: 1801 Sheridan Rd Suite 100
North Chicago, IL 60064
Who: BBBSChi staff (including Jeremy Foster, CEO), community partners Steans Family Foundation and IL State Senator, Javier Cervantes.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago (BBBSChi) is an affiliate of the nation’s largest donor-and volunteer-supported mentoring network. We provide high quality 1:1 mentoring services to around 2,000 children and their families across Cook, DuPage and Lake Counties in both Illinois and Indiana. BBBSChi makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) to develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on Chicagoland youth and the communities in which they live. More information can be found on their website at bbbschgo.org