About Us

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Western Upper Peninsula, a program of the Good Will Farm Association, Inc., is a non-profit youth mentoring organization dedicated to providing one-to-one friendship, guidance and opportunities to the children and youth in our Community.  Big Brothers Big Sisters believes in building the strengths of children and youth and helping them to become more confident, competent and caring individuals.  Big Brothers Big Sisters is the premier mentoring organization in the country, serving over 700 children and youth across the western Upper Peninsula in the past year and positively impacting their self-esteem, improving academic performances and attitudes toward school and fostering a positive attitude toward volunteering. 

What is Mentoring All About?

One of the best ways to contribute to your community and help prepare young people to face the challenges of today and prepare for the future is to serve as a mentor.  Mentoring involves establishing a caring and supportive relationship that encourages an individual to develop to their fullest potential.  Mentoring makes a positive difference in the life of a child by developing the support youth need in meeting the social, emotional and academic challenges of childhood and adolescence.

Programs

The local Big Brothers Big Sisters Agency provides mentoring through three core programs:

• The Traditional Program
• High Five Mentoring
• TEAM Mentoring

Who Benefits?

The Child:  Through experiences with an adult friend, children gain self-confidence, exposure to different opportunities and the knowledge that another person cares.

The Volunteer:  What is universal to being a Big Brother or Big Sister is that most Bigs start out thinking they’ll give something back, yet most end up saying “I get back so much more than I give.”  Along with the satisfaction of helping a child, volunteers learn more about children, themselves, family life and the community.  And, the experience is a lot of fun!

The Community:  Secure, happy children have a better chance of growing into responsible, productive adults, who in turn nurture their own children for success.  This cycle is a foundation of a healthy community.

A Program that Works!

The Friendships of Big Brothers Big Sisters are joyful, uplifting and effective.  To a child the magical gift of friendship provided by a mentor produces significant results.  After only twelve months in a match with the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ program, a child is twice as likely as their peers to avoid drug use, perform better in school and get along better at home and in the community.

A study conducted by Public/Private Ventures, an experienced research group, shows that children matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister are:

• 46% less likely to start using drugs
• 27% less likely to start drinking
• 52% less likely to skip a day of school
• 37% less likely to skip a class
• 33% less likely to hit someone
• more confident of their performance in school
• getting along better with their parents