Who We Are
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick is a youth mentoring organization in Brunswick, Maine.
Since 1981, our agency has been a cornerstone of youth mentorship in our community. For over four decades, we have been dedicated to creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of young people.
Our work focuses on serving children and young adults—typically ages 6 through early adulthood—many of whom come from single-parent homes or face economic challenges. While many of the children we serve are facing adversity, we believe that any child can benefit from mentorship. We match children ("Littles") with caring, committed adult and teen mentors ("Bigs) who provide guidance, stability, and friendship during some of the most formative years of their lives.
What began as a small, local effort has grown into a dynamic and responsive agency, continually adapting to meet the evolving needs of the families we serve. Through intentional, long-term mentoring relationships, we’ve helped thousands of youth gain confidence, improve their academic performance, and envision a brighter future.
As we look ahead, our mission remains rooted in the belief that every child has incredible potential—and that with the right support, they can achieve more than they ever imagined.
We are an agency affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a national federation of organizations serving children, families, and communities.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick is a 501c3 non-profit organization. We do not receive state or federal funding and offer our services at no cost to families.
Our budget depends on funds from private donors, corporate partners, fundraising events, and and support from the United Way of Mid Coast Maine. Our major annual fundraisers are the Big Swing Charity Golf Tournament each summer and the Big Night Out in the fall.
Our office is at 85 Maine Street in Brunswick, on the corner of Maine and Bank Streets, above the Norway Savings Bank.
History of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
For over a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change kids’ perspectives and allowing them to reach their potential. This would not be possible without our volunteers, donors, and advocates, just like you.
It started in 1904, when a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter saw more and more boys enter his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids escape trouble and set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.
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 operates in all 50 states—and 12 countries worldwide.
