History

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County (BBBSBC) has been serving Bucks County since 1964. Our rich history is built on a national heritage more than 100 years old. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) was founded for the sole purpose of enriching the lives of children and helping them achieve their full potential through professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more young boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that the positive influence of caring adults could result in many of these youths staying out of trouble. He set out to find volunteers to be the supportive friends and role models needed to help parents and children have the best opportunity to succeed in life. This marked the beginning of the “Big Brothers” movement.  At around the same time, a group called “Ladies of Charity” was supporting young girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court.

In Bucks County, Big Brothers was formed by a group of concerned educators from the Centennial School District, and Aid for Girls was established in 1971 by the Doylestown Branch of the American Association of University Women.  Aid for Girls became Big Sisters in 1974, and Big Sisters and Big Brothers merged to become one organization in 1987.

With over 50 years of service to Bucks County youth, our primary goal has remained unchanged: to provide quality volunteer and professional services, primarily through mentoring and leadership development, to make a positive difference to children and enable them to achieve their highest potential as they grow to become responsible adults.