We are here to start something

Starting something since 1904At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we’ve been impacting the lives of children for over 100 years. And we’re just getting started.

100 Years of History

For over a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change kids’ perspectives and giving them the opportunity to reach their potential. And we have over a century of volunteers, donors, and advocates just like you to thank.

It all started in 1904, when a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.

At around the same time, the members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. That group would later become Catholic Big Sisters.

Both groups continued to work independently until 1977, when Big Brothers Association and Big Sisters International joined forces and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

More than 100 years later, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to our founders’ vision of bringing caring role models into the lives of children. And, today, Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states—and in 12 countries around the world.

Harrisonburg-Rockingham County 

Big Brothers Big Sisters was founded locally in 1976 as an outreach of Trinity Presbyterian Church.  Our offices are located at 225 North High Street in Harrisonburg in the Elliott House, named after Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County co-founder Bruce Elliott.  

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County is a youth-services organization that pairs adult mentors in professionally guided, one-to-one matches with children facing adversity. As an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, the organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve positive, measurable outcomes through research-based methods. Among other improvements, local evaluation data shows that children served progress academically (83%), avoid delinquency (80%), and experience increased self-confidence (88%). Founded locally in 1976 as an outreach of Trinity Presbyterian Church, the organization is the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency in the state of Virginia, serving 712 youth in 2011. 

© 2011 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County
225 North High Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22802, 540.433.8886