Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester Community-Based Mentoring
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester, 1 S Washington St, Suites 100/405, Rochester, NY 14614
About
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester Community-Based Mentoring matches each child with a mentor to spend time together in the community. Pairs may choose activities such as sports, going to the beach, listening to music, taking a walk, going to a museum, playing in the park, riding bikes, heading to the zoo, doing arts and crafts, fruit picking, visiting area colleges, going bowling, hanging out and chatting, eating out, attending sports events, going to movies, or sightseeing. Bigs and Littles plan their own outings at places like the beach, museums, parks, the zoo, area colleges, and bowling alleys.
• Ages: 8–14 years old
• Schedule: Bigs and Littles meet for a few hours once per week; some matches meet on weekends and others in the evenings.
With over 39 years of experience, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester states that it is dedicated to being an organization families can trust. The mission of the program is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The agency provides children a strong, enduring, and professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationship, and children are matched with a mentor according to shared interests, hobbies, personality, and geography. Once matched, the volunteer picks up the child at his or her home.
Parents and guardians are provided with respect, frequent check-ins, and inclusion in every aspect of the match relationship. Parents and guardians approve activities and outings for their child and their Big, and they report their child’s progress and milestones to the agency on a regular basis. The program enrolls children between the ages of 8–14 in Monroe, Ontario, Yates, Wayne, and Livingston counties.
Big Brothers Big Sisters programs focus less on specific problems after they occur and more on meeting youths’ most basic developmental needs. In a referenced study, matched children met with their Big Brothers or Big Sisters about three times a month for an average of one year. Study results reported that these children were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class, and 33% less likely to hit someone.
One testimonial from Karen J. Mathis, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s President and CEO, states that the organization has known that its mentoring has a long-lasting, positive effect on children’s confidence, grades, and social skills, and that an impact study scientifically confirmed that belief. Another testimonial from Gary Walker, then-President of Public/Private Ventures, describes the study’s findings as very good news and says the program suggests a strategy the country can build on to make a difference, especially for youth in single-parent families. A second statement from Karen J. Mathis notes that when Little Brothers and Little Sisters feel good about themselves, they can positively affect their friends and families, their schools, and their communities, and that the study showed these young people believe in themselves because a Big Brother or Big Sister believed in them.
Last updated February 5, 2026.
• Ages: 8–14 years old
• Schedule: Bigs and Littles meet for a few hours once per week; some matches meet on weekends and others in the evenings.
With over 39 years of experience, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester states that it is dedicated to being an organization families can trust. The mission of the program is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The agency provides children a strong, enduring, and professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationship, and children are matched with a mentor according to shared interests, hobbies, personality, and geography. Once matched, the volunteer picks up the child at his or her home.
Parents and guardians are provided with respect, frequent check-ins, and inclusion in every aspect of the match relationship. Parents and guardians approve activities and outings for their child and their Big, and they report their child’s progress and milestones to the agency on a regular basis. The program enrolls children between the ages of 8–14 in Monroe, Ontario, Yates, Wayne, and Livingston counties.
Big Brothers Big Sisters programs focus less on specific problems after they occur and more on meeting youths’ most basic developmental needs. In a referenced study, matched children met with their Big Brothers or Big Sisters about three times a month for an average of one year. Study results reported that these children were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class, and 33% less likely to hit someone.
One testimonial from Karen J. Mathis, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s President and CEO, states that the organization has known that its mentoring has a long-lasting, positive effect on children’s confidence, grades, and social skills, and that an impact study scientifically confirmed that belief. Another testimonial from Gary Walker, then-President of Public/Private Ventures, describes the study’s findings as very good news and says the program suggests a strategy the country can build on to make a difference, especially for youth in single-parent families. A second statement from Karen J. Mathis notes that when Little Brothers and Little Sisters feel good about themselves, they can positively affect their friends and families, their schools, and their communities, and that the study showed these young people believe in themselves because a Big Brother or Big Sister believed in them.
Last updated February 5, 2026.
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