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"Because above all, people need love." was the reason that Little Brothers' founder, French nobleman, Armand Marquiset (1900 - 1981) entered the lives of lonely and isolated elderly in France in 1946. After witnessing the suffering and hardships of the elderly after World War II, Marquiset began visiting and delivering hot meals with flowers to elderly poor people in Paris. He believed that "the greatest poverty is the poverty of love".
Armand Marquiset, founder of Little Brothers
From the beginning, Marquiset intended this mission for all people in all places. To "spread" the Little Brothers "around the world" was an essential part of his testimony ... and so we have: What began as the work of one man is today carried on by tens of thousands of Little Brothers in nine countries.
US Little Brothers was founded in 1959 when Michael Salmon came to Chicago from France and hosted a Christmas Eve party with turkey, flowers and champagne for 40 "older friends." From that day, Little Brothers houses throughout the country have served the elderly in the spirit of our motto flowers before bread. We hold true to the philosophy that, in addition to the basic necessities of life, each one of us - especially the elderly - has a strong need for the special pleasures that make life worth living.
Under the visionary leadership of individuals such as Michael and his wife Lilo Salmon, US Little Brothers has achieved remarkable success in the areas of program development, fund raising, public relations and volunteer services. This success has been accomplished with the help of committed donors, volunteers and staff willing to share their time, treasures and talents in order to serve the elderly.
In 1982, after founding Chicago and providing years of exemplary service, Michael and Lilo followed the example of our founder Armand Marquiset and moved on from Little Brothers. They founded H.O.M.E., an organization also committed to caring for the elderly.
Following Michael and Lilo's departure, the US created a national board of directors. In 1983 this board established a national office to help oversee expansion, public relations and fund raising efforts at the national level. In 1990, each existing house established an independent board of directors charged with working with the local executive directors to accomplish the mission, as well as the specific goals, of each house.
For the past years, Little Brothers in the United States has worked in loving cooperation with our old friends and volunteers to create an environment where the elderly can find human contact and comfort, love and friendship and a family. Today, thanks to years of hard work by dedicated staff, committed volunteers and generous donors, we have established houses in nine cities including: Chicago, IL (1959), Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (1971), Boston, MA (1979), Houghton, MI (1982), Philadelphia, PA (1990), San Francisco, CA (1990), Cincinnati, OH (1997), Miami, FL (2000) and most recently Omaha, NE (2003).
Today, US Little Brothers has more than 4,000 elderly that we visit on a "regular" basis in our nine houses. In addition to these individuals, we also provided programs and activities to another 5,000 old friends. Thanks to the ongoing generosity and commitment of approximately 11,000 volunteers and 44,000 active donors we are able to continue to provide our unique programs. All of this activity is made possible through the work of over 70 committed staff members.
