Throughout 2026, Harrisburg Magazine is proud to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South-Central Pennsylvania (BBBS) to rally the region around a simple but transformative truth: Professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring works. This partnership is about awareness and spreading the word about the important mission of the organization.
As CEO and President Amy Rote explained, “Our mission … we create and professionally support one-to-one mentoring relationships, putting in the work to get long-term positive outcomes.”
Each pairing between a “Big” and a “Little” is carefully considered. Matches are built, monitored and coached by trained staff who stay in regular contact with the volunteer, the child, and the parent or caregiver.
“On a monthly basis, they’re contacting each party and they’re doing case management and support for each of those: the child, the parent and the volunteer,” Rote said. “Then, they’re developing coaching or trainings for the Big – helping them problem solve or set up new goals – because we have what’s called Youth Outcome Development Plans where the case manager creates those goals.”
That infrastructure – the professional scaffolding that supports every match – is what monetary donations make possible. “We are a service organization,” Rote said. “By giving us a donation, you are funding and helping pay for the staff to provide that service. It works because it is customized to that young person.”
At its core, Big Brothers Big Sisters is clear and disciplined about how it serves children and families. “Yes, the Big Brothers Big Sisters model is evidence-based and we’re trauma-informed,” Rote explained, noting that Littles experience challenging situations.
That distinction isn’t just a label. It shapes the earliest conversations with volunteers and families. “They not only know how to recognize trauma that our kids, volunteers or parents have experienced,” she said, “but they’re able to also intentionally move forward, to build resiliency and not re-traumatize.”
Intentionality runs through the entire service model.
“Every part of our service delivery model involved having conversations with them to really understand who they are,” she said. “If you came in as a volunteer, we would sit down and have an interview to get to know each other – being able to ensure that we are working with you, say, the parent and the family that we match you up with. They could have had a significant loss or trauma, and we need to make sure that we’re working together and giving you the skills and the competencies to help support that Little.”
To assess a child’s needs, BBBS uses a structured tool called a Risk Protective Inventory to identify traumas, determine what risks a child faces and what protective factors are already in place.”
Those insights then guide the individualized youth outcome plans and ongoing training for volunteers. “From there, we’re able to coach that Big and that volunteer to be able to meet those goals.”
Monthly check-ins ensure safety while also connecting families to additional resources. “We’re not only ensuring that there’s safety in the match relationship,” Rote said, “but then we’re providing wraparound services for the parents. If there’s food insecurity in the home, then we’re connecting the family to the food bank. Things like that.”
When asked what challenge families face most acutely, Rote doesn’t hesitate. “Our biggest one is mental health,” she said. “Our biggest gap is access to a therapist or a psychiatrist for their Little. We’re in a mental health crisis. Our 2024 metrics are showing that our kids are still experiencing depression and anxiety.”
Rote said BBBS leans on what it does best: consistent relationships, steady contact and trusted guidance for families navigating complex circumstances.
Addiction’s impact is another challenge Rote’s team sees regularly. Thanks to national BBBS partnerships, local programs can draw on targeted funding. “We do receive some pass-through funding for the mentoring youth impacted by opioids. So, those kids that come in and are referred that have opioid or any type of substance abuse in the home, our organization can use those funds to help support that match relationship.”
Many of these cases involve grandparents raising grandchildren due to a parent’s addiction.
Volunteer screening is rigorous. That includes state police, fingerprinting, and child-abuse clearances—plus a review of social media activity.
“When a volunteer comes in, obviously, we do all of our background checks and searches to ensure that they are suitable to work with young people,” Rote said.
The diligence pays off. “When you look at child sexual abuse cases across different organizations, we are the lowest because of that training and our protocol,” Rote said. “We make it very clear when they’re coming in, the level of oversight the match has.”
Mentoring can start surprisingly young under the right circumstances. “With school-based programs, if the mentoring is happening in the school, we can start at age five, because it’s supervised in a school setting,” Rote says. “Community-based starts at seven, developmentally, that’s when children can communicate safety and understand good touch, bad touch, and personal space.”
Each case requires parental or custodial approval. “A Little can’t join the program or be considered for the program without the approval of both parents… On the grandparent side, most of them end up having custody,” Rote explains.
One major evolution at BBBS has been extending support through age 21. “We noticed that 18 to 21 was the most critical year for our kids dropping out of their plan,” Rote said. “As our Littles were crossing the stage with a plan, going to college or trade, a lot of our volunteers were like, ‘I’ve done my job.’ Well, sometimes that not really the case. Sometimes the Little still needs that connection.
By keeping case managers engaged, matches stay stronger. “The case manager is able to make sure that the volunteer is still supporting them while they’re away at college or working,” she said.
Rote is proud of BBBS’s distinctive approach. “We don’t share our model… don’t spill our secrets, because this is branded,” she said. “It’s not just professionally supported, it’s customized. No one support (for a match) looks the same, and that takes time.”
That time investment is what has kept BBBS strong for more than 120 years. And it’s designed to weather the turbulent teen years. “What happens when the Little who’s matched at seven or eight hits teenage years?” Rote asked. “Teenagers are grumpy teenagers… you are making a difference, but her friends are going to come first right now. If we get them through the middle-school ages, then they’re lifetime.”
Volunteer patterns vary, but the long-term impact is consistent. “Women are more likely to step up to volunteer… but they are quicker to stop mentoring. Men, it takes longer to get them to commit, but once they do, they’re lifetime.” Either way, Rote said, “We see it every time, around 17 or 18, when real life is coming and they have to make those big decisions – they come back strong with their mentor.”
The scale of BBBS-SCPA’s work is impressive and expanding. “Currently, we have 1,244 youth engaged in our program. As far as matches, right now, we have 848,” Rote said. “We are on track to be closer to 2,000 youth engaged and about 1,000 matches.”
In 2024, the agency served 22 school districts. “This school year, with our (matches) that are all signed, we are at 31 school districts across seven counties,” she noted, emphasizing her commitment to rural inclusion. “Growing up rural (in Ligonier, Pa.) … I really wanted to make sure that I focused on rural communities, because they do not get the opportunities that Harrisburg gets, or Lancaster or York.”
She said she is proud to report that BBBS is now active in four of five school districts in Adams County and with strong programs in Lebanon County.
When community-based mentoring inquiries slowed post-pandemic, Rote adapted. “I said, if they’re not walking in the door, then I’m going to take my kids to them.” That mindset fueled rapid growth in three programs: the High School Bigs Leadership Program, Beyond School Walls, and Bigs in Blue.
High School Bigs combines mentorship with career prep. “They do the application, get three references, have the interview with us. That’s all prep,” Rote said. “We teach them child safety, help them understand different diagnoses their Littles might have.”
Beyond School Walls connects students with professionals in the workplace. “They do a career-mapping exercise. It’s a great example of showing young people that they don’t necessarily need to know what your career path is when you’re 17 years old. It’s a journey, right?”
BBBS doesn’t assume it knows what kids want—it asks them. “You can’t keep relevant with youth unless you’re asking youth what they need,” Rote says. That philosophy led to the Youth Summit, a one-day conference bringing together high schoolers from across districts for workshops, networking, and peer-led panels. “Last year we brought 19 high schools together,” she says. “Over lunch, community leaders join in so kids can practice networking.”
The Youth Advisory Board also keeps leadership grounded. “I remember the first one said, ‘Well, your social media needs help.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I know. Thank you for telling me. So what are we going to do about it?’”
Behind the scenes, BBBS tracks outcomes meticulously. “We are evidence-based, so we track through a Child Outcome Survey, a Youth Outcome Survey, and a Strength of Relationship Survey,” Rote explained. The goal is not bureaucracy; it’s understanding.
Right now, the team is building 59 new matches. The need is constant and uneven. “There’s always more boys on our wait list than girls.”
“The most common misconception is time,” Rote said. Mentoring isn’t about elaborate outings – it’s about consistency. “It’s about engaging them in your everyday life. How does a kid understand budgeting for groceries? Take them with you to the grocery store.”
For some families, that normalcy is everything. “We have an option for a couples match,” she said. “My son witnessed domestic violence, and I really want my son to see what a healthy family unit looks like.”
Ask Rote what keeps her up at night, and she’s candid: “It’s the uncertainty of funding.” Grant delays can stretch for months.
Rote’s invitation isn’t a one-note appeal. “Right now, every nonprofit is asking for money,” she acknowledged. That investment can take many forms: becoming a Big, hosting a workplace mentoring program or contributing financially to sustain the trained professionals who make each match possible.
Because when life gets real – when graduation looms, choices multiply and uncertainty sets in – the steady presence of a mentor makes all the difference. “We see it every time,” Rote said. “Around 17 or 18, when real life is coming and they have to make those big decisions. They come back strong with their mentor.”
That’s mentoring, the BBBS way: built carefully, supported professionally and customized for every child and family.
For more information, visit bbbsscpa.org.
Check out the entire November 2025 issue of Harrisburg Magazine.
