119 STAT. 3632
CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—APR. 28, 2005
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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