The Big Brothers movement started in 1904 in New York City. Around the same time, members of the Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. The 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.
Big Brothers Big Sisters operates in all 50 states and in 12 countries around the world.
The Green Bay YMCA started an unofficial, part-time Big Brothers program in 1972 with no national affiliation. The Green Bay-De Pere YWCA started a similar Big Sisters program in 1974.
The YMCA assisted in the creation of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brown County in 1977 and affiliated with the national Big Brothers Big Sisters movement. With the assistance of the United Way, the agency absorbed the former YWCA program in 1983.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brown County changed its name to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin in 1983. Service to Oconto County began in 1985, Door County began in 2001 and Shawano County in 2014.
After participation in the program dropped in 2012-2013, it rebounded and increased in 2014, according to Todd McPeak, executive director of BBBS of Northeastern Wisconsin.
BBBS of Northeastern Wisconsin has 460 matches this year. It employs the equivalent of 11 full-time employees.
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