[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 41 Received in Senate (RDS)]

  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 41


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 27, 2005

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Recognizing the second century of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and 
         supporting the mission and goals of that organization.

Whereas the year 2004 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Big 
        Brothers Big Sisters;
Whereas Congress chartered Big Brothers in 1958;
Whereas Ernest Coulter recognized the need for adult role models for the youth 
        he saw in court in New York City in 1904 and recruited ``Big Brothers'' 
        to serve as mentors, beginning the Big Brothers movement;
Whereas Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest youth mentoring 
        organization in the nation, serving over 220,000 children in 2004 and 
        approximately 2,000,000 since its founding 100 years ago;
Whereas Big Brothers Big Sisters has historically been supported through the 
        generosity of individuals who have believed in the organization's 
        commitment to matching at-risk children with caring, volunteer mentors;
Whereas Big Brothers and Big Sisters have given countless hours and forever 
        changed the lives of America's children, contributing over 10,500,000 
        volunteer hours at an estimated value of $190,000,000 in 2004;
Whereas evidence-based research has shown that the Big Brothers Big Sisters 
        mentoring model improves a child's academic performance and 
        relationships with teachers, parents, and peers, decreases the 
        likelihood of youth violence and drug and alcohol use, and raises self-
        confidence levels;
Whereas 454 local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies are currently contributing 
        to the quality of life of at-risk youth in over 5,000 communities across 
        the United States; and
Whereas the future of Big Brothers Big Sisters depends not only on its past 
        impact, but also on the future accomplishments of its Little Brothers 
        and Little Sisters and the continued commitment of its Big Brothers and 
        Big Sisters: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the second century of Big Brothers Big 
        Sisters, supports the mission and goals of the organization, 
        and commends Big Brothers Big Sisters for its commitment to 
        helping children in need reach their potential through 
        professionally supported one to one mentoring relationships 
        with measurable results;
            (2) asks all Americans to join in marking the beginning of 
        Big Brothers Big Sisters' second century and support the 
        organization's next 100 years of service on behalf of America's 
        children; and
            (3) encourages Big Brothers Big Sisters to continue to 
        strive towards serving 1,000,000 children annually.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2005.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.