Big Brothers Big Sisters expands Technology-driven Mentoring Program to Fort Wor th, Texas Combination between technology

and mentoring allows local companies, employees t o provide guidance and support with less of a time commitment than traditional m entoring. Fort Worth, Texas, May 21, 2013 -- Big Brothers Big Sisters is pleased to announ ce that it is expanding its innovative technology-based mentoring program to hig h school students in Fort Worth, Texas. The program mentor2.0 has met with resou nding success since its launch in Dallas last year. In addition to Fort Worth, B ig Brothers Big Sisters will further expand the program in Dallas and Houston an d expects to launch nationally over the next five years. We are tremendously proud of the success weve achieved in Dallas, and were excited to be able to expand this worthy initiative in Tarrant County, said Rob Roby, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters. We expect that the citizens and business community of Tarrant County will get behind this opportunity and volunteer as mentors to local students. To date, almost 400 students have been served as mentees in the mentor2.0 progra m during the 2012-2013 school year. Dunbar High School will be the first Fort Wo rth school to launch mentor2.0. Jason Ray, Chief Operating Officer of Big Brothe rs Big Sisters, expects to match more than 100 students from this school with an adult mentor for the 2013-2014 school year. A groundbreaking initiative developed by Big Brothers Big Sisters, mentor2.0 is a professionally supported, technology-enriched one-to-one mentoring program tha t engages high school students in the classroom and online in an entirely new wa y. Mentors and mentees use an interactive secure portal to follow a curriculumbased program administered by Big Brothers Big Sisters staff. In addition to on line mentoring, the mentors and mentees meet at group events throughout the year that are organized at the school campus. The goal of mentor2.0 is to provide the support and guidance that students need to graduate high school and succeed in college and the workforce. The interactio n between mentor and mentee is orchestrated via a secure, proprietary email syst em monitored by Big Brothers Big Sisters staff to ensure safety and provide rela tionship support. Some of the curricula include: problem solving skills, motiva tion, career exploration, interview skills, leadership and college admissions pr ocesses. About Big Brothers Big Sisters: Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nations largest donor and volunteer supported mento ring organization, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achie ve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behavior s; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partner ing with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, B ig Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children (Littles) with screened volunteer mentors (Bigs) and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throu ghout their course. The first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summ ary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, po sitive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of sing le or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or servin g in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. This

mission has been the cornerstone of the organizations 85-year history. Big Brothe rs Big Sisters Lone Star serves over 30,000 children, volunteers and families th rough 20 offices and over 100 counties in Texas. Learn how you can positively im pact a childs life - donate or volunteer at bbbstx.org. Contact: Elizabeth Peichel Big Brothers Big Sisters 450 E John Carpenter Freeway, Irving TX 75062 214-336-8344 epeichel@peichelcom.com http://www.bbbstx.org