Angie Brummitt’s first mentor was her older sister, Anita. She taught Angie how to read, how to volunteer in the community, and the importance of kindness. Anita challenged Angie to overcome her shyness by joining her neighborhood children’s theater garage production.
“Throughout our childhood, she showed up with consistency, commitment, and heart even when times were hard,” Angie remembers.
Anita’s important role in Angie’s early life inspired her to become a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters as an adult.
In the 1990’s, Portland was the largest metropolitan area in the country that didn’t have a dedicated Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate. At the time, other local nonprofit organizations were running small BBBS programs under a sponsoring agency model. Unfortunately, that model could not support the growth necessary in a larger city and was closed by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America office in 1999.
This closure left a large waitlist of youth and adult volunteers abandoned, and active Big and Little matches were forced to close. Angie Brummitt was a Big Sister at the time and did not want to see the program end.
“I felt deep passion and conviction that our community would support a thriving, stable organization committed to mentoring youth,” Angie said. “At the heart of everything, I know the power of one person believing in you can change your world. Just imagine a whole community of people believing in each other.”
Angie organized with four other Bigs to begin the process of opening an official Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate. Soon, more than 40 additional volunteers, consisting of Bigs, former Littles, parents, and other community supporters, joined the effort. Angie and these volunteers worked for a year, without any compensation, to complete the extensive national certification process, which included a comprehensive Community Needs Assessment, letters of support, fundraising, and a design of full agency operations.
These volunteers successfully launched Big Brothers Big Sisters Metropolitan Portland in 2001 to serve the Portland metro area. The original goal was to provide mentors for over 500 youth and to build a foundation for the agency to grow even beyond that.
Angie served as the Founding CEO and Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Metropolitan Portland from 2001-2003, before returning to the private sector.
In its 25-year history, the agency has surpassed the original goal, serving more than 11,500 local youth and counting. It has expanded to include southwest Washington, a change reflected in the new name— Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest. It boasts full-time staff, hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of donors who all come together to support and uplift tomorrow’s leaders.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is, at its core, the story of how we as people are better together– people needing people, people showing up for each other, sharing possibilities and believing in each other,” Angie remarks. “Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission represents to me much of what’s beautiful, meaningful, and powerful in the world. People believing and working together can create a better world and build a future we all can envision. It’s a story for all times, and especially important today.”
