Big Brothers of Rhode Island was founded fifty years ago by the late Chief Justice of the RI Family Court, Francis J. McCabe, Judge McCabe, in 1952 as Chief Judge of the RI Juvenile Court, decided there were too many boys coming before his court that could be helped and saved if only an adult male (a Big Brother) would take an interest in the boy. He sought out men and women from all parts of the state who shared his deep concern. Among them were the late George Katz who served as the first Executive Director and after a long and distinguished career at the National Big Brothers as Development Director, he returned and actively served on our Advisory Board of Directors, and the late Colonel Maurice M. Wolf.

The purpose of the Big Brothers of Rhode Island, Inc., a United Way Agency, is to offer a fatherless boy the opportunity to further his growth and development through a friendship with a man he can emulate. The most important element in Big Brother work is the one man-one boy concept of a therapeutic friendship between a volunteer and a boy.

A volunteer Big Brother is interested in helping out a fatherless boy along the road to good citizenship without assuming any legal or financial responsibility. A Big Brother assumes that someone cares, A Big Brother becomes the fundamental source of new hope and faith in a young boy's life.

A Big Brother derives numerous rewards from helping a fatherless boy. Big Brothers enjoy taking their Little Brothers to a ballgame, the zoo, library, and other interesting and exciting places. A Big Brother may even develop new interests as a result of his friendship with a a boy who has had experiences different from his own.

The rewards derived by a Big Brother are made possible by virtue of knowing a less fortunate little boy has been helped along the road of life. If interested in giving a fatherless boy the biggest break in his young life, please fill out the application below and send it to our agency.

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