Since 1963, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai'i has helped children facing adversity reach their fullest potential by matching them with a caring volunteer in a one-to-one mentoring friendship. Our mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. As a member of the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, we are Hawaii's mentoring experts. Our programs are based on over 100 years of evidence-based research and our best practices are shared with more than 300 affiliates across the country. The goals of our mentoring programs are to help children: -Avoid risky behavior such as abusing drugs and alcohol, joining a gang, and/or teen pregnancy; -Achieve educational success by encouraging and motivating kids to stay in school and graduate from college; -Develop higher aspirations and hope for their futures by exposing them to new experiences and opportunities; -Provide cultural and educational experiences that foster and develop resilience and self-esteem.