Our Mission
Our mission is to help children reach their potential through
professionally supported, one-to-one relationships.
Our Vision
Our vision is successful mentoring relationships for all
children who need and want them; contributing to brighter
futures, better schools, and stronger communities for all.
Big Brothers Big Sisters History
In 1966, Clayton B. Normand came to Columbia from Richmond, Virginia, where he had done volunteer work with youngsters in and around the Richmond area. Being a student at the University of South Carolina in the Social Work Department, and having some free time, Clay felt the need to get involved with the community. He did volunteer work with many agencies, but he did not feel their services filled the needs he saw in the community’s youth because the children were found only after they had been in jail or prison. Clay found in visiting the family court in Columbia, that many youngsters would not go to jail or prison if there were some organizations that worked with the children in a preventative method. Clay discovered that one such youngster was in immediate need of this kind of help if he was to remain out of trouble. He accepted the responsibility as a Big Brother, and pledged to spend time each day with the youngster. This relationship proved to be the beginning of what is now known as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Inc.
Clay, along with a small group of volunteers, began working with children in the Read Street area, using Bethlehem Community Center as their headquarters. Clay went to Denver, Colorado, to observe the “Partners” program, which was acknowledged as one of the most outstanding programs of its kind. He went through their training period and saw many advantages to implementing many of their ideas into the Brothers and Sisters program. The Brothers and Sisters organization was designed to prevent juvenile delinquency and to fill a gap, an emptiness in the lives of children coming from broken homes, single-parent homes, and homes where drinking or drug problems existed. Some of these children were scheduled to go to jail simply because no one cared enough about them to go the second mile and provide more than lip service on their behalf. Clay spent much of his time visiting the Family Courts, or talking with people, as he met them, about the problems that he was seeing daily.
Clay got to know Judge J. McNary Spigner of the Richland County Family Court, and because of the interest and drive shown by Clay, he was introduced to many influential people in the Columbia community. Clay noticed that most of the children in the Family Courts came from the area north of Elmwood Avenue, west of North Main Street, and east of the Broad River. He, therefore, spent more time in that community which had just became predominantly Black because most of the whites had moved elsewhere. The homes in the area were being sold to private owners, placed in the hands of realtors, or were owned by realtors. Many of these homes were vacant and vandalized, so Clay took advantage of this situation and went to see one of the realtors who held most of the homes in the area. During the course of his visit, Clay convinced the realtor that if the organization known as Brothers and Sisters was permitted to occupy the house at 2315 Lincoln Street, many of the problems would stop and the cost of repairs would be lower. However, the realtor had to be made aware that Brothers and Sisters could not pay rent, for there were no funds. Clay used his personal funds when one of the children needed shoes, books or food. He used his contact with people in the Columbia area as an in-road to various funding sources, civic groups, churches, etc. Clay spoke to many groups and was given honorariums, which he used for the program. He was able to establish a kind of delayed credit connection all over Columbia, and somehow always seemed to meet the payments enough to keep going.
Brothers and Sisters was not funded by any agency during these early years. Clay was able to get small amounts of money for one-time funding from agencies, or he was able to make a contact, such as a speaking engagement to a church group. Some of the churches or groups would put Brothers and Sisters in their budget for the year, but things were still very hard and frustrating for the Director, as well as the Board of Directors. Most of the donations made to the program were those of volunteer hours and materials. College and technical students worked as volunteers and earned college credits. Sororities, fraternities, and private businesses supported the program during these times with volunteer hours and monetary contributions when possible.
Brothers and Sisters, in the early years, also had a connection with B&W House. The House served as a source of income that was used to help carry on the Brothers and Sisters program. It provided shelter for travelers stranded without a place to stay for a short period of time. Some traveler’s were able to pay, while others were paid for by Family Services, or Traveler’s Aid. People knew that Brothers and Sisters was a place where they could come and find someone who was willing to sit and listen to their conversation, complaints, arguments, and needs; and that in the end someone would try to help them.
In late 1971, conversations were held between representatives of the Brothers and Sisters program, Associated Social Agencies (now Family Service Center), and United Community Services, concerning potential funding of the Brothers and Sisters program by UCS. These conversation culminated in January 1972 with a joint application for financial assistance from Associated Social Agencies. The Community Planning Division appointed a committee to meet with the agencies involved and further studied the application for the purpose of presenting recommendations. The affiliation of Brothers and Sisters with Associated Social Agencies was from January 1972 through December 1973. During the second year of their relationship, Associated Social Agencies recommended to United Community Services that the Brothers and Sisters program become an independent United Community Service Member agency in 1974. Associated Social Agencies assisted Brothers and Sisters with the development and preparation of their 1974 budget to United Community Services.
After Clay’s departure from Brothers and Sisters in 1977, Arabella Tate served as Interim Executive Director until Joanne Megedot was appointed Director. In 1979, Elizabeth Taylor began serving as Director and continued through 1984. Rosalyn Belton Jenkins served as Interim Director from March 1984 through August 1984. Harriet G. Fields was appointed Executive Director in August 1984 and served until December 1987. James E. Brown was appointed Director in January 1988 and served through September 1991. Velma Love was appointed Director in January 1992 and served through August 1996. Nicole R. White served as Interim Director beginning August 1996 until she was appointed Executive Director in December 1996. Nicole’s title changed from Executive Director to President/CEO in 2001. After ten years of service with the organization, she resigned from the President/CEO position in September 2002.
Stephanie K. Cooper-Lewter served in the position of President/CEO
from October 2002 until October 2004. In December 2004,
the Board named Julie Tovey as the President/CEO.
As of May 16, 1988, the Board of Directors officially changed the name from Brothers and Sisters, Inc. to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia, Inc., to be in accordance with the National Organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Inc.
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"...My Big Sister is nice.
She is also funny and silly. I have someone to talk to and
a person to look up to."
-Jamika, age 11
4300 North Main Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29203
Phone: (803) 691-5700
Fax: (803) 691-5701
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