About Us
Our Mission Statement
Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly is a national network of non-profit volunteer-based organizations committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. We offer to people of goodwill the opportunity to join the elderly in friendship and celebration of life.
Our Motto
Our motto, flowers before bread, expresses our philosophy that people need the special pleasures in life in addition to the basic necessities. We feel that love and dignity and beauty in life are as basic as physical needs.
Our History
Although we are in Chicago, our history began in France. In 1946, French nobleman Armand Marquiset established Les petits frères des Pauvres (Little Brothers of the Poor) to serve elderly Parisians who had lost their savings and family members in World War II. His motto, flowers before bread, expresses the spirit that man does not live by bread alone; it is the human touch that makes life worth living.
"Friendship is love with understanding"
Proverb
By 1959, Marquiset’s vision had spread to Chicago where three petits frères staff members established the first US presence of this organization. Since then, we have expanded to serve the elderly in nine US cities and nine countries around the world. Just as the number of people served has expanded, our workforce has grown from one of solely Catholic males to men and women who represent many cultures.
In 1985, we changed our name to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) to better reflect our programs and participants.
The LBFE Chicago Chapter is located at 355 North Ashland Avenue in a multi-purpose facility purchased in 1998. This facility is transformed regularly into a place of celebration for holidays, monthly birthday parties, and Wednesday luncheons held throughout the year.
While our organization and the number of elders we serve have grown, our goal remains the same: to relieve isolation and loneliness among the elderly, and to offer to people of goodwill the opportunity to join the elderly in friendship and the celebration of life.
LBFE intern and Program Assistant Brenda Weigand was moved to write an article for the Dominican Volunteers USA Newsletter about her experience with us.
“I wanted something different before graduate school. I wanted a challenge. I wanted to expand my comfort zone. I wanted to see what life was like from another perspective, and I hoped to learn something along the way. I’ve certainly gotten more than I bargained for …”
Brenda chows down with Orealya at an LBFE luncheon.