(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio, along with more than 270 Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates across the country have a new look.

The organization unveiled its new, modern brand reflecting its urgency to empower the potential of youth in a complex, challenging world.

“More than one in three kids in our country is growing up without a mentor,” said Beverly Pearch, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio. “We want to ask our community to act on the urgent need to defend the potential of the youth in our community. Our goal is to empower our community to help us reach these kids and make a difference.”

Months of research, including focus groups with potential Bigs as well as current Bigs, Littles, donors, staff, and leadership showed that Big Brothers Big Sisters needed to increase its connection with younger, prospective mentors and strongly convey the need for adults to ignite the potential of every child. The effective core model of building bridges in communities by connecting one adult with one child and supporting that mentoring match at every stage will not change, but the organization is strengthening its focus on each child’s potential and the role of adults in helping children achieve their best possible futures.

“Studies showed a decrease in our brand recognition with younger generations. As we look to the future, we want to engage as many individuals as possible to ensure a consistent pool of Bigs ready to take on children in need,” said Pearch. “Our new brand will resonate with a wider audience, recruit more volunteers and secure more relationships with investors who connect with our mission. This will allow us to close the mentoring gap and have a positive impact on the future of our communities.”

The brand repositioning is just the beginning. In the coming year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio will transition to a new, modern, nationwide technology system, participate in new training and use the new positioning to refocus efforts on recruiting local volunteers.

Learn more about the new Big Brothers Big Sisters brand and how to get involved at http://www.bigs4kids.com/defending-potential. An in-depth look at the new brand and how it translates to our community will be the focus of the 17^th Annual Gala on November 15^th at the Tool Shed at Breitenbach Winery.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 charitable organization with six paid employees and two types of mentoring programs: Community-based Mentoring and School-based Mentoring.