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 To view meeting: https://youtu.be/E5xAA5sCv5c January 25, 2022 – Linda Gorter, Director of York County’s local Big Brothers Big Sisters, spoke at our weekly meeting. The agency evolved from Volunteers in Service to Youth, VISTY, program, which was founded in 1974 as a part of Catholic Charities. They joined up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in 1981 after seeing how aligning with the organization could improve our community. In1990 Big Brothers Big Sisters of York County Inc. was formed as an independent agency that was no longer under the umbrella of Catholic Charities. The York chapter later merged with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Adams County in 2001. Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters of York & Adams Counties is continuing to work in the community and is serving hundreds of kids throughout York and Adams Counties. A Big Brother or Big Sister is anybody who wants to make a difference in the life of a child. They are volunteer mentors from the community who are matched up with kids in need so that they can provide them with necessary guidance and support. Anyone can become a Big and getting started is as easy as filling out an application. A Little is a child who is enrolled in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ programs that could benefit by having a positive role model and mentor in their life. Any child can be a Little, but they only enroll children between the ages of 6 and 13. The last 2 years have been difficult due to the pandemic and the agency is in need of both Big and Littles. For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to its founders’ vision of bringing caring role models into the lives of children and currently operates in all 50 states and in 12 countries around the world. |