Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, founded in 1963, is a statewide youth-mentoring agency that matches keiki, the Hawaiian word for children, age six and up with caring adult mentors in one-to-one relationships. The agency serves all four Hawaii counties through three island offices, having grown from its Honolulu roots to a statewide organization. Tyler Kurashige serves as president and CEO, having joined as an intern in 2006 and risen through case management and operations roles. Website bbbshawaii.org; phone 808-265-6126.
BBBS Hawaii matches a child (a Little) with a volunteer adult mentor (a Big) in a one-to-one relationship that supports the child's social and emotional development. The agency describes its work as building transformative mentoring relationships for keiki age six and up.
As a statewide agency spread across islands, BBBS Hawaii adapts the BBBS model to Hawaii's geography, running offices on multiple islands so that matches and staff support are available to families beyond Honolulu.
BBBS Hawaii began as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu, serving Oahu. In 2007 it expanded services to Kauai, and about five years later it led negotiations with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui to merge and create a single statewide entity serving all four counties.
That consolidation gave Hawaii a unified mentoring organization across the islands, with three island offices coordinating recruitment, screening, and match support under one statewide structure.
Founded in 1963, BBBS Hawaii has more than six decades of history serving the islands. Its current president and CEO, Tyler Kurashige, embodies that continuity: he joined the agency as an intern in 2006 and held roles from case manager to school-based coordinator to director of program operations and chief operations officer before becoming CEO.
The agency's operating budget, reported in the low single-digit millions, is modest relative to mainland agencies in large metros, reflecting Hawaii's smaller population spread across islands.
BBBS Hawaii serves the entire state, with island offices supporting matches on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui and reaching families in Hawaii County as well. Mentoring keiki across islands requires local staff on each island, since a match and its support cannot easily span an ocean channel.
The agency enrolls children age six and up and pairs them with screened adult volunteers, focusing on consistent, long-term relationships.
To become a Big, visit bbbshawaii.org or call 808-265-6126. Volunteers complete an application and screening, then are matched with a Little and supported by agency staff. Because BBBS Hawaii operates across islands, volunteers can find opportunities on multiple islands.
The agency continually recruits adult mentors, since demand from families typically exceeds the number of screened volunteers available.
Donations can be made at bbbshawaii.org. BBBS Hawaii is a 501(c)(3) organization, so gifts are tax-deductible. Local foundation grants, corporate support, and individual giving fund the agency's statewide mentoring work, including its 100 Men 100 Days style campaigns.
Gifts that fund match support help the agency keep relationships safe and effective across the islands.
Hawaii has youth-serving organizations including Boys and Girls Clubs and island-specific programs. For one-to-one, professionally supported mentoring statewide, BBBS Hawaii is the dedicated agency, uniquely structured to serve all four counties through island offices.
Its statewide reach across islands is a distinguishing feature: few youth organizations in Hawaii coordinate one-to-one mentoring across the entire state.
Last updated June 2026. BBBS Hawaii founding (1963), statewide structure (Honolulu origins, Kauai expansion in 2007, merger with BBBS of Maui), CEO Tyler Kurashige (intern in 2006), keiki age six and up, and contact details from BBBS Hawaii (bbbshawaii.org) and its about page; EIN 99-0109970 from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Operating budget figure from agency reporting. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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