The Grainger Foundation has donated $10,100 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana in support of its mission to help children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships with measurable impact.

“This grant will be used to help put kids in need on the path to success by providing them with a mentor,” said Josette Rider, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana.  “Currently, more than 70 percent of our ‘Littles’ waiting are boys, yet only about 30 percent of our volunteers are men. We are going to use this money to help match new kids with a mentor, with an emphasis on matching these boys to provide hope for their futures. Plus, they’ll have a little fun too because our programs are set up to allow both the ‘Big’ and the ‘Little’ to enjoy each other’s company in just a few hours a month. We are grateful to The Grainger Foundation for its generosity.”

In 2012, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana and Southcentral Michigan supported 1,993 matches between volunteers and children in need, and the agency has already supported more than 2,000 matches this year. It won Agency of the Year, Board of the Year and had the Big Sister of the Year – all on a national level. This was the third time winning Agency of the Year (2006, 2009 and 2012), and the first time receiving recognition as the National Board of the Year.  Children in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ programs are: 52 percent less likely to drop out or skip school, 42 percent more likely to get a college degree, 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, and 33 percent less likely to hit someone.

The Grainger Foundation, an independent, private foundation based in Lake Forest, Ill., was established in 1949 by William W. Grainger, founder of W.W. Grainger Inc.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana is a nonprofit organization that serves children in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley counties in Indiana and Branch, Hillsdale and St. Joseph counties in Michigan. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships with measureable impact.