BBBS of Atchison

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atchison County helps boys and girls, most of whom are considered at risk and live in single-parent homes, achieve their full potential through long-term personal relationships with carefully screened and caring volunteers.

Welcome to the new home of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atchison County!  We are very excited that you decided to learn more about our program and how you can help make a difference in a life of an Atchison County child. You can use this site to learn more about our mentoring program, as well as place to find out about upcoming events and how you can get involved. Most importantly, you can use this site to apply to become a volunteer (Big) or to enroll a child (Little) who wants or needs a mentor.

There are 16,745 people in Atchison County, 3,050 of them are youth between the ages 5 and 18 and 1,581 of those youth live in poverty.

51.88% of all Atchison youth take free or reduced lunches.

-quickfacts.census.gov and www.kidscount.org

Atchison County has a high population of youth living in poverty. Research has helped us to understand the continuum of risk and has identified behaviors and characteristics that put children and families at-risk.  Poverty may be, in and of itself a risk factor, but most members of the families living in poverty will experience multiple risks. They often endure substandard educational environments, violent neighborhoods, inadequate parenting or care and various forms of institutional and interpersonal prejudice.  Studies show that the accumulation of these risks creates cycles of failure.

With 1,581 Atchison County youth living in poverty (over 50% of the youth in that community) it was determined by the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority, the Leavenworth Board of County Commission, the First Judicial District Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board and Delinquency Prevention Project that there is a strong need for the services of Big Brothers Big Sisters.  In fact, these organizations felt the need was so strong that they secured initial start-up funds in the form of a JJA grant in order to develop a Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Children and Teenagers matched in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program are:

46% less likely than their peers to start using drugs
27% less likely than their peers to start drinking
52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school
33% less apt than their peers to engage in violent behavior

It takes a lot of money to be a volunteer- Actually; many activities you already do are surprisingly fun for a child.  We encourage our volunteers to do simple things with their Littles.  You will be amazed at how much fun both of you will have making dinner or working on your car.

It takes a lot of time to make a difference in a child’s life- We ask our volunteers to donate between two and four hours a week to their Little.  The stability that this small amount of time provides a child is amazingly effective.

Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest, and most effective mentoring organization of its kind in the nation.  For more information go to http://www.kansasbigs.org or contact Kathleen Mountz (913) 547-2052.