"In everything we do at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, we must put the health, safety, and well-being of our Bigs, Littles, board, partners, and employees first. With an abundance of concern for all members of our communities, we are following the recommendation of local and national authorities.  Our staff are working remotely, we are still available to assist you via email and phone calls, and we are still serving the families of our communities from Pensacola to Panama City.   Now more than ever we need volunteers to mentor our Littles.  We are conducting all volunteer and child interviews and making matches virtually.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Our office staff hopes you and your loved ones stay healthy during this time."  - Paula Shell, President & CEO

Paula Shell, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and Little Sister Hope were recognized as the 2020 Florida Big Sister and Little Sister of the Year. Big Sister Paula and Little Sister Hope were matched on August 14, 2013. Big Sister and Little Sister of the Year nominations were submitted by each of the 11 Florida state Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, so this honor is a true testament to the dedication that Paula has shown over the past 6 ½ years. Congratulations Paula and Hope on being named the 2020 Florida Big Sister and Little Sister of the year!

Being a volunteer mentor and role model is only one of the ways to support Big Brothers Big Sisters. You can also purchase one of our license plates at your local tax collector’s office. For each plate sold, Big Brothers Big Sisters receives money. Here in Northwest Florida we receive half of what is sold from Pensacola to Panama City.

In May 2019 Pen Air Federal Credit Union presented a gracious gift of $100,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida 30^th Anniversary Campaign. Thanks to their communerosity we are now proud to call our community-based mentoring program the Pen Air Community Mentoring Program.

In March of 2019, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida was thrilled to receive a gracious matching gift of $500,000 from The Bear Family Foundation to our 30^th anniversary campaign. The Bear Family has been instrumental in the agency’s success over the last 30 years and we are honored to call our new Pensacola home, The Bear Family Foundation Center for hope.

In October of 2018, we were honored to have been chosen as one of the Pensacola Bay Area Impact 100 grant recipients! We were selected along with 10 other local agencies to further our mission and work in Northwest Florida. Stay tuned for exciting updates on what this grant will be funding!