[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 119, 109th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS--
100TH ANNIVERSARY
NOTE: Apr. 28, 2005 -  [H.Con.Res.41]
Whereas the year 2004 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of
Big Brothers Big Sisters;

Whereas Congress chartered Big Brothers in 1958;


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119 STAT. 3632


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.

Agreed to April 28, 2005.


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