Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
From Free net encyclopedia
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to organizing mentorships between adults and children. In its earliest form, the organization was founded in 1903 by Irvin Ferdinand Westheimer, a businessman from Cincinnati, Ohio, when he saw a poor boy looking for food in a dumpster near his office building. Mr. Westheimer introduced himself to the boy, started mentoring him, and organized a group of local businessmen to seek other boys in need of adult mentors. A year later, in 1904, the idea for the same organization emerged in New York when Ernest Coulter, who was influenced by Julius Mayer, a judge in the New York Children's Court, formed New York Big Brothers. Similar to Mr. Westheimer's organization, the idea behind the program was to find influential men to mentor delinquent boys. Catholic Big Sisters was founded in 1905, also in New York.
In response to an ever-increasing demand from individuals, NGOs, foundations, corporations and governmental officials around the world, Big Brothers Big Sisters International was created in 1998. This global alliance of country-specific national associations of Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer mentoring programs, work to improve the lives of children and young people around the world. Big Brothers Big Sisters programs are established and managed by leaders in the community, with a focus on valuing the individual, the family, and society.
As of 2006, the organization operates in over 30 different countries worldwide, serving 200,000 children aged 6 to 18 in the United States alone.
