Big Brothers Big Sisters Of York

In 1903, a Cincinnati businessman looked out his office window and noticed a little boy searching through some garbage for food. The man, Irving Westheimer, invited the boy, Tom, to a decent lunch. When he took Tom home and saw his family's appalling conditions, Westheimer offered the boy's widowed mother and oldest sister jobs in his factory. As the friendship between man and boy flourished, Irving convinced other men at his club to begin similar relationships. It was one of these boys who coined the phrase Big Brother. In December 1970, Big Brothers of York was incorporated. Its mandate was to provide boys from father-absent homes with friendship by matching them with Big Brothers. Serving the communities of Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Newmarket, Aurora, King, East Gwillimbury, Georgina and Whitchurch-Stouffville, as well as Bradford West Gwillimbury, Big Brothers Big Sisters of York today offers five quality mentoring programs to the Region's children. These programs help children who, with some extra attention, can strive to achieve their full potential and grow into adults who will contribute positively to society. Community supportand staff-driven fundraising events provide the major portion of the funding that enables the Agency to advocate on behalf of York Region and Bradford West Gwillimbury's children.