Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid- South’s mission is…

Create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid- South (BBBSMS) has been serving the city and surrounding areas of the mid-south since 1968. Its rich history is built on a national heritage more than 100 years old. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBSMS) was founded for the sole purpose of enriching the lives of children and helping them achieve their full potential through professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more young boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that the positive influence of caring adults could result in many of these youths staying out of trouble. He set out to find volunteers to be the supportive friends and role models needed to help parents and children have the best opportunity to succeed in life. This marked the beginning of the “Big Brothers” movement. In only 12 years, Big Brothers spread across the country establishing a presence in 96 cities.

At around the same time, a group called “Ladies of Charity” was supporting young girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. This group later became “Catholic Big Sisters.” Both worked independently until 1977, when “Big Brothers of America” and “Big Sisters International” joined forces and became “Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.” More than a century later, BBBS remains true to our founders’ vision by bringing caring mentors into the lives of children in all 50 states and in 12 countries around the world!

We are proud to continue enriching children’s lives allowing the youth of Memphis and the mid-south to be all they can be – one child at a time.