Welcome to Our Ohana
OUR MISSION
Our mission at Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i is to build and support one-to-one relationships to ignite the biggest possible futures for Hawaii’s youth. Each year we serve children, teens, parents, and volunteers across the state by facilitating one-to-one mentoring programs in schools and in the community. We are continuing to operate programs during the COVID-19 pandemic while observing social distancing as our mission to help children and teens overcome hardships and build resilience has never been more important.
OUR ORGANIZATION
As Hawaii’s most recognizable and successful mentoring agency, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i has been leading the way in serving disadvantaged youth throughout the state for more than 57 years. Our programs are based on Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s evidence-based mentoring method and the short-term and long-terms benefits of participation are confirmed by numerous research studies. We track data on each program participant and conduct surveys annually to ensure that our services are safe, effective, and meaningful. We have a top-tier platinum rating from GuideStar and in 2020 we were ranked by Morning Consult as one of the top 10 “Most Favorable Nonprofits” and “Most Trusted Nonprofits” out of hundreds of organizations nationwide.
OUR GOAL
The goal of our program is to provide positive role models to help Hawaii’s youth succeed in school, embrace higher aspirations and hope for the future, have better relationships with family and friends, and avoid risky negative influences like drugs, alcohol, and gang activity. The children and teens we serve face many challenges, but research shows that being matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister helps at-risk youth navigate a path to reach their fullest potential. Mentoring programs are a vital service to our island communities because they give youth the inspiration and confidence needed to achieve their dreams, provide parents with a network of support, and offer volunteers the opportunity to make a big difference in someone else's life. Read more about our impact here...
Our mission at Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i is to build and support one-to-one relationships to ignite the biggest possible futures for Hawaii’s youth. Each year we serve children, teens, parents, and volunteers across the state by facilitating one-to-one mentoring programs in schools and in the community. We are continuing to operate programs during the COVID-19 pandemic while observing social distancing as our mission to help children and teens overcome hardships and build resilience has never been more important.
OUR ORGANIZATION
As Hawaii’s most recognizable and successful mentoring agency, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i has been leading the way in serving disadvantaged youth throughout the state for more than 57 years. Our programs are based on Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s evidence-based mentoring method and the short-term and long-terms benefits of participation are confirmed by numerous research studies. We track data on each program participant and conduct surveys annually to ensure that our services are safe, effective, and meaningful. We have a top-tier platinum rating from GuideStar and in 2020 we were ranked by Morning Consult as one of the top 10 “Most Favorable Nonprofits” and “Most Trusted Nonprofits” out of hundreds of organizations nationwide.
OUR GOAL
The goal of our program is to provide positive role models to help Hawaii’s youth succeed in school, embrace higher aspirations and hope for the future, have better relationships with family and friends, and avoid risky negative influences like drugs, alcohol, and gang activity. The children and teens we serve face many challenges, but research shows that being matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister helps at-risk youth navigate a path to reach their fullest potential. Mentoring programs are a vital service to our island communities because they give youth the inspiration and confidence needed to achieve their dreams, provide parents with a network of support, and offer volunteers the opportunity to make a big difference in someone else's life. Read more about our impact here...
Island offices
We serve the state of Hawai'i with three island offices. Meet our team...
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where it all began
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Dennis Brown, President / CEO Did you know that our current President / CEO was actually the FIRST "Little Brother" served by our agency back in 1963? Read Dennis' story... |
OUr History
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Mentoring with Aloha
Since 1963 we've changed the lives of thousands of volunteers and families across the state of Hawai'i. Read about our history... |
finances
It’s your money that enables us to start more kids on the right path. So you have every right to know how it is used. Every local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with its own audited financial statement. We do not receive funding from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and all money raised in Hawaiʻi stays in Hawaiʻi to support local youth. We are only able to offer professionally-supported mentoring programs to families and volunteers at no cost thanks to your federal, corporate, and individual gifts. The majority of our funding is used to employ professional case management staff, who are responsible for recruiting, interviewing, enrolling, training, matching, and overseeing each one-to-one pair. Funds are also used to provide free and low-cost activities and programs for mentoring matches. We could not do what we do without you!