Peacebuilders Serve Those in Need
Responding to Jesus' message to "feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, and welcome the stranger" (Matthew 25), high school students participating in the Peacebuilders Initiative will volunteer at various ministry sites throughout Chicago during the summer intensive week, June 15-21, 2003. These diverse ministries serve people who are homeless, the elderly, disadvantaged women and children, adults and children with mental and physical disabilities, as well as addressing issues of hunger, affordable housing, mental illness, childcare needs for single parents, and community organizing. During the next several weeks we will highlight these organizations which work to bring peace and reconciliation to the marginalized of our society.

Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly
Guided by their motto, “Flowers before Bread”, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly is a unique family of volunteers, staff, and funders whose mission is to create relationships that enrich the lives of their elderly friends to ease their loneliness and isolation. To ensure the success of their mission, staff and volunteers at Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly build personal and permanent friendships with the elderly through regular visits, celebrating special occasions with them, and working together to meet their basic needs. Each staff or volunteer accompanies their elderly friend to the end of their life.

Little Brothers — Friends of the Elderly befriends nearly 1,000 Chicago elderly. While elderly need to be at least 70 years of age to partake in LBFE programs and services, the average age of their old friends is 82. They serve both English speaking and Spanish speaking elderly. These people often lack a social network of family and friends or have few social opportunities to build friendships. They identify themselves as lonely and isolated and desire companionship and friendship. Although being poor is not a criterion for our friendship, Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly does take into consideration the impact a lack of financial resources has on a person’s life.

Christine Bertrand, the Intergenerational Coordinator for LBFE is passionate about building relationships between the elderly and the young, which Bertrand believes is a mutually beneficial process of learning. Bertrand believes that the participants of the Peacebuilders Initiative will become familiar with the reality of aging . She wants to plant some seeds in their minds to teach them how to serve and relate to seniors, and to think about aging for themselves.

To learn more about Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, go to www.littlebrothers.org/chicago.
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project ideas you or your school or youth group can organize with LBFE.