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GETTING TO KNOW US!
Friendship is an important element in anyone's life. Knowing you have a dependable friend, who likes you just because you are you, can be an important factor in helping you make the right decisions as you grow up, as well as in adulthood. Not every child has the same opportunity to develop caring, trusting friendships. This is why agencies such as Big Brothers exist. Being matched with a Big Brother can make a world of difference to a child. It means having someone older to grow with, to respect, who respects you, and to do important things with, like washing the car, going swimming, playing catch, or simply taking a walk in the park. In this area you can learn more about our organization's history, both nationally and locally. A brief introduction is included, listing our Board Members and committees. |
HOW BIG BROTHERS GOT STARTED |
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Big Brothers of America was initiated by Irvin F. Westheimer, a young Cincinnati businessman who, distressed by a young boy foraging for food in an alley trash can, befriended the youth and learned he was fatherless. He sensed the specific needs of this boy and others in similar circumstances and appealed to adults to offer help. The year was 1903 the first agency was incorporated in 1909. In Canada, the first Big Brother program began in Toronto in 1913. Although loosely structured and lacking specific guidelines, its primary focus was to offer a program of personal friendship to father-absent boys who had appeared in juvenile court. Not many new Big Brother groups were established until the 1950’s, when policy changes resulted in the service being provided to any boy lacking a consistent male influence and falling within age guidelines. In December 1964, representatives from 10 Big Brother agencies met to coordinate the program and to establish standards of operation. As a result, Big Brothers of Canada was born. 184 Big Brother and joint Big Brother/Big Sister agencies from across Canada are members and receive guidance from head office staff in Burlington, Ontario. The
initial service that Big Brothers now provides
across Lambton County began in 1966 as a support
service for parents involved with the Social
Service Bureau. One of the original
founders of the Sarnia agency is Brother Al
Verstraaten, who pursued affiliation with Big
Brothers of Canada after realizing that in many
ways they were providing the same service. In
June of 1967 the agency was incorporated as Big
Brothers of Sarnia. Brother Al was the
agency’s first Executive Director and he ran
the agency on a volunteer basis. His
commitment to the agency is obvious in that he
continues to be an active volunteer with the
agency three decades later! In 1973 the
agency saw the need for expanded services to
cover all of Lambton County. At that time
the name of the agency was changed to Big
Brothers of Sarnia-Lambton. Since then, a
satellite office in Forest has been established
in order to better meet the needs of children in
the county. The agency now has five staff
members and has expanded its programs to include
a Couple Matching program and an In-School
Mentoring program. Big Brothers has been serving Sarnia-Lambton for well over 30 years. Currently about 82 boys are matched in the traditional Big Brother/Couple Match program and over 100 children are matched through the In-School Mentoring program. Typically in Sarnia and Lambton County, there are 46 boys waiting for a Big Brother, and many boys and girls waiting for a Mentor in the In-School Mentoring program, so volunteer recruitment remains a top priority. BIG BROTHERS OF SARNIA-LAMBTON MISSION STATEMENT To provide responsible
guidance in the development of life skills to the
children of our community through
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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