Welcome to the Winning Wards Initiative Home Page!

What is the Winning Wards Initiative?

In August 2007, the City of St. Louis loss a young, dedicated and beloved police officer, Norvelle Brown, to youth violence. Officer Brown was known by all for his dedication to his community – he specifically requested to work in his own neighborhood so that he could make a positive difference. Winning Wards Initiative was created in honor of Officer Brown and other community heroes.

Winning Wards Initiative addresses the specific needs of young people living in the City of St. Louis. Winning Wards, focusing on one ward at a time, aims to provide a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor to every young person, who wants and needs one. There are 28 wards in the City of St. Louis and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri seeks to partner with residents, civic leaders, business owners, clergy and educators to provide quality, one-to-one, mentoring services to youth between the ages of 5-17.

    Officer Norvelle Brown
   Together, ward by ward, we can change the City of St. Louis for the better and through our actions we can pay lasting tribute to Officer Norvelle Brown.

Join Us!

The young people in our city hold fantastic dreams and goals for their future. Too many times, their dreams go unrealized because of the challenges they face on a daily basis. Often, all that is needed to positively impact a young person’s life and prevent juvenile delinquency is the friendship and guidance that a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor can provide.

Do you remember that one person in your life who gave you a helping hand? Do you remember that one person who always had a kind word for you? Honor them today and join the Winning Wards Initiative!

What is Big Brothers Big Sisters?

For over 94 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri (BBBSEMO) has been providing young people with caring and consistent role models and friends. In this time and through our partnership model, Big Brothers Big Sisters has become the largest, oldest and most effective mentoring program in the State of Missouri.

Big Brothers Big Sisters model of mentoring is supported by rigorous scientific research. Public/Private Ventures, a renowned public policy and research firm, concluded that young people matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister for at least one year were:

• 52% less likely to skip school
• 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• 46% less likely to begin using narcotics
• More confident in their schoolwork
• Less likely to resort to violence to solve problems

Having a Big Brother or Big Sister was especially helpful in the case of minority children, who were found to be 70% less likely to initiate drug use, compared to a result of 46% for children in the general population.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Blueprints for Violence Prevention Program named Big Brothers Big Sisters one of only eleven nationwide programs effective in reducing adolescent violent crime, aggression, delinquency and substance abuse.

How can you get involved?

Winning Wards’ success depends on the collective effort of the individuals in each ward in St. Louis. Here are ways you can become involved:

1.) Become a Volunteer: BBBSEMO needs more mentors to serve as role models for the children in your ward. We offer a variety of flexible mentoring programs that allow you to enjoy.
If you are interested in getting involved in any way, please call us at 314-361-5900 or fill out our electronic form below: