Deborah Saunders, M. Ed,  joined Big Sisters of Rhode Island as Executive Director

 December 02, 2009

If you noticed a new person at the helm here at Big Sisters of Rhode Island, you are correct! Deborah Saunders, M. Ed,  joined Big Sisters of Rhode Island as Executive Director in October. Deborah has over 15 years senior management experience in non-profits, spending much of that time as Executive Director of YMCA programs, most recently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Also, for 9 years she was proud to oversee Children's Cove, Cape Cod and the Island's Child Advocacy Center.  While there, the agency grew from an initial grant from the Department of Mental Health to a state of the art national model.
 
Deborah’s vision for Big Sisters of Rhode Island is to provide the best quality program services to as many girls as possible, to identify and develop strategic partnerships and alliances which will strengthen our mission and contribute to a stronger healthier community; and to build our donation center business into the primary clothing donation center in the state thereby ensuring continuity of our mission.
 
Deborah attended Westfield State College, and graduated from Cambridge College with an M.Ed.
 
Originally from New England, Deborah says she’s very happy to be back with family and friends. Her daughter Amanda lives on Cape Cod--about an hour and a half from where she resides in Jamestown.  She lives with her two dogs and two cats, and is thrilled to be living close to the ocean.  She’s also happy to say that she’s a fan of both the Red Sox & Patriots.  

As you welcome Deborah Saunders, she welcomes you and encourages your questions and/or suggestions.  Feel free to contact Deborah as she works together with YOU to strengthen RI's children.

Founded in 1967, Big Sisters of Rhode Island is the state’s only mentoring program exclusively for girls. The agency matches caring women with girls between the ages of 7 to 15 in one-on-one mentoring friendships. It also operates school-based mentoring, pairing high-school girls with younger girls, and offers Life Choices workshops to groups of girls in elementary or middle school. For more information about Big Sisters’ programs or to volunteer as a Big Sister mentor, go to www.bigsistersri.org or call (401)-921-2434.

The Big Sisters mentoring agency established the Big Sisters Donation Center in 1997 to augment the agency’s fundraising income. The Donation Center sells clothing and other items of cloth by weight to the local Savers thrift stores. Proceeds provide a major portion of the Big Sisters agency funding. For more information about the Big Sisters Donation Center click “Donations,” at the left, or call 401-464-6500.