Ernest Kent Coulter,
Founder of Big brothers movement
1904
The Big Brothers organized movement began with 39 volunteers in New York City.
Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children realize their potential and build their futures through youth mentoring programs. We nurture children and strengthen communities. And we couldn't do any of it without you.
For 66 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As a member agency of the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization in the United States, we make meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 14, in Hamilton, Marion, Bradley, Walker, Catoosa and Dade counties. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people in our community.
From our Staff to our Board of Directors, Big Brothers Big Sisters has a compassionate and dedicated group of individuals on our side that are willing to do whatever it takes to help change children's lives for the better.
For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change kids’ perspectives and giving them the opportunity to reach their potential. And we have more than 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.
The Big Brothers organized movement began with 39 volunteers in New York City.
The Big Brother Movement began in Chattanooga when the Pastor's Association met to discuss boys in fatherless homes.
The Big Brothers Association received its charter on January 3rd and matched 50 male volunteers with 50 boys.
The Local Chapter became the 34th National Affiliate of Big Brothers of America.
Big Sisters was established under the guidance of Stella Murphy after seeing the need for girls within the community. Big Sisters obtained its charter on May 10, 1961 making it the third such organization in the Nation.
Porter Warner, Jr. led the fundraising effort to build the current facility at 2015 Bailey Avenue.
The local Big Brothers and Big Sisters associations merged.
Big Brothers of America and Big Sisters International merged. Mildred Montague played a leading role in this merger.
The BBBS Scholarship Program was established because of the need to ensure Littles can meet their educational aspirations.
BBBSGC launched a Site-Based program to provide mentors to student in school and after school sites.
Bigs in Blue begins, matching youth with law enforcement professionals to build trust between law enforcement and communities of color.
Beyond School Walls launches workplace mentoring pilot with Unum to bring middle school students to local workplaces to meet with their mentors.
UTC Bigs Campus Organization began on the Campus of UT Chattanooga.
BBBS of America and BBBSGC launch a new brand, DEFENDERS OF POTENTIAL.
E-Mentoring Program, Mentor U, pilots to begin matching High School students with mentors in a virtual setting.
BBBSGC will celebrate 65 years of helping 65,000+ Littles in the Greater Chattanooga area.
