Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Awarded $13 million in Federal Mentoring Grants

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Justice Department, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of America three Federal mentoring grants, totaling approximately $13 million.  The grants, administered by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), are given to leading national organizations to strengthen, grow and implement mentoring activities and development programming for youth.  

"We are very pleased with this award and believe it is indicative of OJJDP's acknowledgement of the strong contribution Big Brothers Big Sisters continues to make to delinquency prevention and intervention," said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and CEO Karen J. Mathis.  "We are delighted at the continued commitment of OJJDP to Big Brothers Big Sisters and its place in youth development."

The three mentoring grants include:

OJJDP FY 2010 National Mentoring Grant:  One-year, $10 million to strengthen partnerships with local and national juvenile justice organizations and reach more youths who are at risk of entering or have already had contact with the juvenile justice system.  

OJJDP FY 2010 Tribal Youth National Mentoring Grant: One-year, $2 million OJJDP Tribal Youth National Mentoring Grant to bring mentoring services to tribal youths across the country.  

OJJDP FY 2010 Mentoring Research Best Practices: In partnership with the University of Illinois and lead researcher David DuBois, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America will receive a nearly $1 million one-year Mentoring Research Best Practices grant.  

"These awards are part of an ongoing commitment by the Department of Justice to give young people an opportunity to participate in activities that will enrich their lives," said Laurie O. Robinson, OJP's Assistant Attorney General in an announcement released by the office on September 15. "Through these organizations, youth are provided programs that help keep them in school, out of trouble, and most importantly, put them in direct contact with caring adults who provide crucial support and guidance."

About OJJDP

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) led by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson.  OJP provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. More information about OJP can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles").

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides a system of ongoing evaluation and support that is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that "Littles" will perform better in school and avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of nearly 400 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 250,000 children. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate, or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters