Big Brothers Big Sisters of Manitowoc County

Our Programs

Little Moments equal Big Magic for both "Bigs" & "Littles".

Community Based Mentoring

Children, primarily from single parent households are matched to caring mentors. Matches can be Big Brother with Little Brother, Big Sister with Little Sister or cross gender matches including Big Sister with Little Brother, Big Couple with Little Brother or Sister, Big Family with Little Brother or Sister, Big Teen Sister with Little Sister and Big Teen Brother with Little Brother. The objective of the Community Based Program is to prevent problematic behaviors by providing a caring supportive friend who the child can trust and confide in. Goals are to help each child reach his / her highest potential through improving school performance, improving peer / family relationships and increasing self-esteem and confidence. Another goal is to have the child experience new hobbies and interest in an effort to use leisure time productively, decreasing the likelihood of drug and alcohol use, and develop a sense of responsibility to assist the child in becoming a competent, confident and caring adult.

School Based Mentoring

With the School Based Mentoring Program, volunteers from area companies, organizations or the public at large are matched with children enrolled in local schools. Typically volunteers meet with the children one hour per week at the school. Mentors select either the "Lunch Buddies" Program or "After School" Program to meet with their "Little". At the "Lunch Buddies" program mentors spend time in social activities to help develop the child's social skills. With the "After School" Program, mentors spend the first 30 minutes helping children with their homework and the last 30 minutes in social activities.

We currently have School Based mentoring programs set up at:
• Koenig Elementary School in Two Rivers
• Franklin Elementary School in Manitowoc
• Jefferson Elementary School in Manitowoc
• Monroe Elementary School in Manitowoc
• Madison Elementary School in Manitowoc
• Jackson Elementary School in Manitowoc
• Stangel Elementary School in Manitowoc
• Kiel Middle School in Kiel
• Zielanis Elementary School in Kiel
• Valders Elementary School in Valders

Match Events

Match events are held monthly for current matches and also for kids who are ready to be matched. During the match events, children can be matched for the day with a "special volunteer" (a volunteer who currently prefers this option to a traditional match). These activities normally are offered at no cost and may include attending a Bucks game, horseback riding, roller-skating, Halloween party, etc.

Go to the How to Volunteer page if you are interested in putting some "magic" into the lives of kids, or call us at (920) 684-7445.