History of the Big Brother Movement
CANADA
In 1913 Toronto businessmen sent a representative to New York to investigate the Big Brother Movement. Impressed with what he saw, the representative convinced his fellow businessmen to begin a similar service in Toronto. Originally Big Brothers of Metropolitan Toronto worked with both boys and girls who came to their attention through the courts. Encouraged by the growth of the movement, a Board of Directors was formed and professionals hired as permanent staff. A similar organization was formed in Hamilton in 1921, and eventually in several other cities across Canada. In the early 1960’s, Big Brothers associations reorganized their services to assist boys between 6 and 16 years of age from father absent homes.
By 1964, ten Big Brother Associations including Toronto, Hamilton, Vancouver, St. Catherines, Peterborough, Owen Sound, Niagara Falls, Kitchener-Waterloo, Welland and Oakville, provided service to a total of 300 unmatched boys. These agencies, which were affiliated with Big Brothers of America, decided to form a Canadian organization with a view to promoting the Big Brother concept throughout Canada. Big Brothers of Canada was federally chartered on December 15, 1964. By 1972, sixty Big Brother agencies in Canada were providing service to 3,000 boys, a ten-fold increase in eight years! In that year, Big Brothers of Canada signed a separation agreement with Big Brothers of America to become a completely autonomous national body. Growth was rapid in the ensuing years. By 1975, there were almost 100 agencies with 5,200 matches, and by 1980, 150 agencies were serving 7,200 children.
In the mid-1970’s , requests were received from several communities to establish joint Big Brother/Big Sister agencies in Canada. The first joint agency in Canada was Halifax, N.S., followed shortly by Victoria, B.C. The majority of new agencies being formed offered services to both boys and girls. Today, of over 160 member agencies, approximately two-thirds provide Big Brother/Big Sister service. Over 9,400 boys and girls are matched with volunteers in our member organizations throughout Canada.
The Big Brother/Big Sister program is no longer limited to Canada and the U.S.A.; Big Brother/Big Sister mentoring organizations now exist in many countries worldwide, including Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Jamaica and Israel.
The U.S.A.
On July 4th, 1903, a young Cincinnati businessman named Irwin F. Westheimer observed a young boy sorting through a garbage can for food. Mr. Westheimer befriended the child and discovered that the boy lived in a home where his father had died. Mr Westheimer took the boy under his guidance, saw him regularly and helped him as a `big brother``. Recognizing the value of his involvement, Mr. Westheimer then asked a number of friends to act in a similar capacity to other boys and young men from father-absent homes. He approached the Men`s Club of the Central Presbyterian Church to assist these children by becoming `big brothers``. Hence Big Brothers was born.
In 1908, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, learning of the work of Big Brothers of New York City, organized the first Big Sister program there to provide a similar service to girls and young women. Big Brothers of New York incorporated in 1909. The movement spread from city to city across the U.S.A. as individuals and groups recognized the need for this service in their own communities. The first Big Brother and Big sister National Conference was held in October, 1917, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although there was not a central organization providing assistance to new agencies, an attempt was made during the late 1930`s to organize a national Big Brother and Big Sister organization but this effort seems to have floundered at the outbreak of World War II. In 1946, representatives of 13 Big Brother agencies met to form Big Brothers of America (BBA). From 1947, BBA grew slowly and by 1963, affiliated numbered 35. National staff provided consultation, evaluation, standards of service, public relations and research.
In 1972, the National Board, following a complete review, decided to re-organize BBA. This resulted in a new constitution and by-laws, program priorities, staff, and a plan for the future. In 1973, BBA and Big Sisters International (BSI, which had formed two years before), recognized a commonality of interest and the growing number of joint Big Brother Big Sister agencies, and embarked upon a program of mutual co-operation by forming a Merger Committee from both Boards of Directors. An agreement of Merger was adopted by the corporations on June 17, 1977 and Honorary Chairman, Gerald R. Ford, presided over the affair. Today in the United States, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America provide service to approximately 480 member agencies and more than 100,000 children.