EVERY CHILD
HAS POTENTIAL
BECOME A BIG
Apply to become a Big and mentor a child in your local community.
DONATE TO BBBS
Support mentoring financially and help place a mentor in the life of a child.
ENROLL A CHILD
Enroll your child to be matched with a caring adult mentor in your local community.
STANDING TOGETHER TO DEFEND POTENTIAL
Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee has been transforming the lives of children since 1970. We are a member agency of the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization in the United States, consisting of nearly 250 agencies nationwide.
Making a BIG impact in LITTLE’s lives. Our vision is that all children achieve their full potential.
Our mission is to create and professionally support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of East Tennessee youth.
To learn more about our impact, check out Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s impact reports here.
I want to…
MEET OUR MATCHES
CREATING FRIENDSHIPS,
CHANGING FUTURES.
There are over 400 active matches in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and each one of them has a story. Take a minute to get to know just a few of our amazing Matches here.

Big Sister of the Year - Briana
Big Sister Briana has been matched with her Little Sister, Nyla, since 2016. Briana and Nyla get breakfast together every week, and they enjoy doing creative activities together, such as taking art classes like paper quilting, ornament making, and more. They also enjoy trying new things together, cooking and baking, and texting to check in between their meet-ups. Recently, Nyla has experienced many life changes, and Briana has been there for her the whole time, continuing to meet with her regularly, connecting her to any resources that she has needed, and encouraging her the whole way. Briana and Nyla’s friendship is built on mutual trust, encouragement, and fun. Thank you, Briana, for your continued friendship with Nyla!

Big Brother of the Year - David
Big Brother David was matched with Little Brother Juan as a Site-Based match at a local elementary school in February 2019. Since then, their friendship has grown immensely. During their meetings, they would talk, have lunch together, play games, and work on homework together. Juan was referred to BBBS-ETN by his teacher, who says that since being matched, Juan’s confidence has sky-rocketed, he has made many friends in his class, and his grades have improved. Juan and David are both bilingual, and they enjoy being able to speak to each other in both languages. In 2020, when the pandemic began and schools closed, the match transitioned to a Community-Based match so that they could continue to meet outside of school, doing activities together like FaceTiming or chatting on the porch. David has also volunteered with BBBS-ETN in other ways, such as participating in a Live a Little spotlight on WBIR and recruiting friends to become Bigs. Thank you, David, for your continued support of Juan and BBBS-ETN!
MEET OUR MATCHES
CREATING FRIENDSHIPS,
CHANGING FUTURES.
There are over 400 active matches in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and each one of them has a story. Take a minute to get to know just a few of our amazing Matches here.


Big Brother David was matched with Little Brother Juan as a Site-Based match at a local elementary school in February 2019. Since then, their friendship has grown immensely. During their meetings, they would talk, have lunch together, play games, and work on homework together. Juan was referred to BBBS-ETN by his teacher, who says that since being matched, Juan’s confidence has sky-rocketed, he has made many friends in his class, and his grades have improved. Juan and David are both bilingual, and they enjoy being able to speak to each other in both languages. In 2020, when the pandemic began and schools closed, the match transitioned to a Community-Based match so that they could continue to meet outside of school, doing activities together like FaceTiming or chatting on the porch. David has also volunteered with BBBS-ETN in other ways, such as participating in a Live a Little spotlight on WBIR (You can watch it HERE) and recruiting friends to become Bigs. Thank you, David, for your continued support of Juan and BBBS-ETN!
%
of littles feel like they belong
%
of littles have more confidence
active matches in 2021
new matches made in 2021
UPCOMING EVENTS
Big Heights Rooftop Crawl
Big Heights Rooftop Crawl
Join Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee at their annual Big Heights Rooftop Crawl on Thursday, October 20, 2022. Attendees will once again crawl the roofs high above downtown Knoxville sampling a wide variety of delicious food and beverages. Rooftops previously ...
Info Sessions
Info Sessions
At an info session, you will have the opportunity to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, including opportunities to get involved, common misconceptions and the benefits of mentoring, an open Q&A session, and hear from a current Big.
College & Career Fair
College & Career Fair
Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee is thrilled to announce its 2022 College & Career Fair, presented by Arconic, will be on Thursday, October 27. The outdoor College and
Info Sessions
Info Sessions
At an info session, you will have the opportunity to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, including opportunities to get involved, common misconceptions and the benefits of mentoring, an open Q&A session, and hear from a current Big.