ONE OF THE OLDEST MENTORING ORGANIZATIONS IN AMERICA

We take a moment to highlight the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association of Cincinnati. This association, founded in 1910, was a charter member for what would later become Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. The organization dates back to 1903 when Irvin F. Westheimer, an American Jewish Businessman from Cincinnati, befriended a fatherless child and decided to create a group for mentoring children in need. Today, the program continues to provide mentors to children all over the country as Jewish Big Brothers/Big Sisters under the Jewish Family Service agency. Its mission is to “provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.”

Two images of young men at “Play Day,” Eden Park, Aug. 26, 1926. X-290. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Promotional material for the 100th birthday of the founder, Irvin F. Westheimer. Sept. 20, 1979, Cincinnati, Ohio. X-290. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.

First annual report from the Big Brothers’ Association, Oct. 1913. X-290. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.