FAQs

Please visit our “Enroll A Child” page and enter your zip code to submit an online inquiry form.

A ‘Big’ is a volunteer mentor who is matched in a one-to-one relationship with a child (‘Little’) in our program. A mentor is a friend, a supporter, a positive and consistent addition to the life of a Little. A Big Brother or Big Sister is not a replacement parent, a babysitter or a therapist. Rather someone to help share a different perspective on life and help their Little to realize their endless potential. To learn more or to apply to become a Big, click HERE.

It is up to the Bigs and Littles, with approval from the Little’s parent/guardian, and sometimes approval from the Case Manager, for what activities they would like to take part in together. Activities range from simply going to the library or bookstore, playing sports, going to the movies, to attending sporting events or shows.

We stress ‘no to low cost’ activities that strengthen the relationship while building confidence and expose the Little Brother or Little Sister to new things. Our agency offers suggestions of free and low-cost community activities.

We also offer various Match Activities and fun and educational programs throughout the year for matches to attend.

The agency also receives limited amounts of donated tickets throughout the year, which are made available to our Bigs thru a lottery system.

Check out our Big’s Corner.

Accepted volunteer mentors are 18 or older. You must also complete an in-depth interview with one of our program staff and sign off on a background and DMV check to be conducted on your behalf.

It’s a few hours a month! We request that you agree to a minimum of one year to be matched with a child, and to spend at minimum a few of hours throughout the month with them. It is not the amount of time that matters most, but your consistency that matters most to the children in our program. Approximately 20% of all our current matches have been together for 5 or more years!

Please visit our “Become A Big” Page and enter your zip code to submit an online inquiry form to apply.

Once a Big and a Little are matched, they are assigned a Case Manager who will oversee and monitor the match for its duration. Our designated staff is available for answers to any questions, to guide and assist with any issues or difficulties, and to ensure that all parties are benefiting from the relationship. Additionally, BBBSLI provides training and support services for the duration of the match relationship. Learn More about becoming a Big here.

There are several reasons you may be on our wait list after either inquiring to become a mentor or after you have been accepted as a mentor in our program. Some reasons could be: We may not have a child ready to be matched within proximity to where you are located. Also, we have to honor all guardian/Little/volunteer preferences. A program team member will keep you updated on our efforts to match you.

BBBSLI provides several different site-based programs to children throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. These programs include:

• College Mentoring
• High School Bigs Mentoring
• Workplace Mentoring

In addition to our community and site-based mentoring, BBBSLI offers:

Holiday for Kids’ Sake
This program is a special outreach to all of the families in our program during the holiday season. The goal is to alleviate the added burden that this season can put on a family that is already struggling. Through this program, each family receives gifts for all the children in the household, plus a food gift card, delivered to their doorstep. To donate brand new, unwrapped gifts please contact the Development Office at (516)731-7880 x232 / events@bbbsli.org.

RISE UP – Academic and Career Preparation and Planning
Rise Up is a college and career readiness program that uses the power of mentoring as a strategy to support students to and through high school graduation as they plan for lifelong success. The Rise Up Program will help make our Littles’ seemingly unattainable dreams a plausible reality by providing the right tools in the right environment to develop employability skills, explore undiscovered talents, set post-graduation goals, expand possibilities, and potentially change the trajectory of their lives. For more information, please contact Betty Smith, Rise Up Program Supervisor at (516) 731-7880 x 202 / bsmith@bbbsli.org.

BBBSLI Annual Scholarships
The pursuit of higher education is often one that causes stress and hardship for many of the children and families we serve in our program. We wish to alleviate that hardship to ensure that the children in our program receive an opportunity to create a brighter future.

These scholarship opportunities are generously made possible by Dorothy and John Talotta, as well as the families of the late Jeff Grant, the late Glenn Trovato and the late Michael J. Weisbrod. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island offers scholarships in various amounts to assist students matriculating for their first year of college.

Eligible applicants are those who have been either a Volunteer Mentor or Little Brother/Little Sister in our program.

Visit our “Schedule Pick up” page to submit an online scheduling form or call 631-234-0000.

While these opportunities are limited, we do collect a list of community volunteers for when we could use some extra hands! If you are interested, please contact us HERE.

Please click our “Donate Now” page or contact our Development Office at (516) 731-7880 x232 / events@bbbsli.org

Your dollars help to create meaningful matches between children (‘Littles’) and volunteer mentors (‘Bigs) here on Long Island. Our staff of professional Match Support Specialists provide ongoing support for the lifetime of the match, with all parties involved, and ensure that the match provides a successful and beneficial outcome for the child. In addition, we provide resources to the parents and guardians of all Littles on our program, award an annual scholarship opportunity to selected, eligible applicants attending their first year of higher education as well as host agency events for Bigs, Littles, and their families year-round. For more information please contact our Development Office at (516) 731-7880 x23 / events@bbbsli.org.

We rely on the support of the Long Island community and businesses to help keep our costs down, so more of our funds can go directly to supporting our mentoring program. Please contact Mark Cox to discuss your donation at mcox@bbbsli.org or (516) 731-7880 x213.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Donation Center was established in 1997 to help BBBSLI become a self-sustaining organization and enable us to serve more children across Long Island.

We collect used clothing and household items that are sold in our affiliated Saver stores. 100% of the proceeds from the sales are used to support the Big Brothers Big Sister mentoring program helping at risk children in the Long Island area.

100% of the proceeds from our Donation Center directly supports the Big Brothers Big Sister of Long Island mentoring programs which help at risk children in Nassau & Suffolk county.

Yes, the driver will leave a receipt when your donation is picked up.

Our tax ID is: 11-2422452