Our History
A Legacy that Empowers the Future
Our Local History
Sheboygan County
Originally Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sheboygan County, the WI Shoreline affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters led the effort bringing mentoring programs to children in the state of Wisconsin by becoming the first Big Brothers affiliate in 1965. A merger of two local groups happened in 1982 when Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sheboygan County, Inc. was incorporated.
Manitowoc County
In 2021, the organization grew once more leading a merger with their neighboring affiliate, Manitowoc County, founded in 1968. In nearly six decades, we have served nearly 35,000 children creating meaningful and professionally supported matches between adult volunteer mentors (Bigs) and children (Littles), ages 5 through 18, in both urban and rural communities.
Our National History
In 1904, New York City court clerk Ernest Coulter saw high numbers of boys coming through the courtroom. He recognized the need for caring adults to help create an innovative alternative to the criminal justice system. 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 120 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 capital is a letterform that tells our story. The story of an organization that creates connections that matter. When the “B” is used alone, we call it The Capital. It is a powerful symbol of the real-life match that creates a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
The elements of the lowercase b stand as a powerful symbol representing the story of a Little and their parents or guardians aligning with our organization to build momentum toward reaching their full potential. Alone, the story is incomplete.
With the addition of a Big, the equal parts create meaningful intersection. As the upper piece of the B is added, the relationship is formed and nurtured, balance is created, and relationships become stronger and more impactful.