- February 17, 2026
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It would come as little surprise to anyone that of the nearly 300 young people being mentored by Big Brother Big Sisters in Manatee County, fewer than 30 live in Lakewood Ranch.
Kamala Martinez, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, acknowledges that an affluent community such as Lakewood Ranch is far more likely to have stable families and fewer at-risk youngsters than in other parts of the county. But — not to preach — it’s good to pause and consider the types of crises, trauma and tragic circumstances that kids are enduring within just a few miles.
Take, for instance, Brian.
Martinez changed the boy’s name when telling his story. “He came to us when he was about 7 and his world had fallen apart,” she says. Brian’s mother, who struggled with drug addiction, turned to prostitution. He was intermittently homeless, sometimes living off food scraps. His mother’s boyfriend sexually abused him. Brian shuttled from his biological father to his mother’s sister to his grandmother, who became his legal guardian. She found Brian a therapist, who recommended the mentoring program at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
In stepped Travis, a first-time Big Brother (or “Big,” to use the organization’s argot). “Brian was pretty nonverbal,” Martinez says. “He really didn’t want to talk or say much.” But Travis persisted, ultimately gaining his young charge’s trust. “Travis just wouldn’t give up on him,” Martinez says. “He kept encouraging Brian to pursue his interests and helped him with his schoolwork.”
You probably know where this anecdote ends up. Five-or-so years later, Brian “is a thriving pre-teen with A’s in school,” Martinez says. “He continues to work through the trauma with therapy, but he’s a bright, happy, healthy kid.”
Brian’s story may be among the more dramatic within the Big Brother Big Sisters caseload, but it’s not unusual. Of the mentored kids in Manatee County:
So, yes, the vast majority of children served in Manatee County — as well as throughout the 10 counties that the Sun Coast chapter covers — are “at-risk” in some form or another.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast encompasses a hefty portion of the southwestern part of Florida. It’s the 11th largest chapter in the U.S. As of June 2025, 1,618 kids were matched with a Big. That’s the good news. Not so good: The waiting list was 384. “We always have an abundance of Littles,” Martinez says. “My biggest thing is trying to attract Bigs. Sometimes a kid will have to wait up to a year to find the right match.”
It’s a meticulous process. Parents or guardians can request certain criteria, often wanting to match their child with a Big of the same race or ethnicity. Incoming Bigs are subject to an FBI background check. They’re assigned a mentor manager, who works to pair them with a youngster with similar interests. The new Bigs go through safety and health training and are given communication tools that enable them to connect with their Littles.
The organization tries to align Bigs and Littles of the same gender, but that’s not always possible — because the Sun Coast Bigs are 63% women. (About 54% of children matched with a Big are female; 46% male.) Mentors can be as young as high school age or as old as they come. Martinez estimates that the chapter’s most senior Bigs are in their late 70s. The majority are retirees, she adds.
Being a Big does not require an enormous time commitment. The organization asks that a mentor spend at least an hour a month with their mentee, augmented by a 15- or 20-minute phone call once a week. Of course, Bigs are free to spend more time, and often do.
Sounds pretty easy, right? OK — imagine you’re a sullen, disenfranchised 11-year-old with a dysfunctional home life who’s getting in trouble at school. In walks an adult you’ve never met who’s been assigned to you. She’s now your “Big Sister.” Might you be just a tad wary? “In the beginning, there is often resistance,” Martinez allows. “So the Big has to be very patient and keep working to build that trust.”
When that occurs, the result is, over time, a far healthier kid and a gratified adult. It’s often said that Bigs get more out of the program than Littles. And it’s not uncommon for these relationships to last well into the Little’s adulthood.
The success of Big Brother Big Sisters of the Sun Coast is measurable on a macro level as well. According to the organization’s 2025 Impact Report, 100% of graduating seniors continued their education, joined the military or entered the workforce (99% in Manatee); 100% remained arrest-free; (same in Manatee); 99% avoided risky behavior (97% in Manatee).
And while a relatively few of those youngsters live within the comfortable confines of Lakewood Ranch, it’s reassuring to know that so much good is taking place close by.
