In 1932, Harold Price was 12 years old when his father died. His mother, now raising Harold and his two younger sisters on her own, watched him start to struggle. She turned to Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Boston (JBBBS) to find a mentor for her son, and Harold met Joe Wolbarsht.

Joe showed up. He showed up again, and he kept showing up. What began as a mentoring match grew into a friendship of almost 70 years, with Harold and Joe showing up for each other for the rest of their lives.
Years later, Harold put it best: “My Big Brother taught me to walk a straight and narrow path. He made a mensch out of me.” A mensch, in Yiddish, is a person of integrity and honor.

Harold and his wife, Annette, went on to create the Harold D. and Annette Price Family Foundation. This fall, the foundation gave JBBBS a gift of $1 million, a seed for our plan to double the number of matches we make over the next five years.

Harold’s story has repeated itself again and again for more than a century. JBBBS began in 1919, when Jewish boys who had lost their fathers in World War I were turned away from services because of antisemitism. A group of Boston judges and lawyers decided to show up for them. They were our first “Bigs.” In 1922, there were 25 Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country. Today there are two, in Boston and Los Angeles. Boston survived because of this community. CJP was our only funder for our first 50 years, and leaders across Boston’s Jewish community have kept our doors open ever since. We are grateful to CJP and to every person who has understood the importance of this work, then and now.

This gift helps us grow. Only volunteers make the next match possible.
Right now, 140 people across Greater Boston are waiting for someone to show up for them: 100 children hoping for a mentor and 40 adults with disabilities looking for a friend.

Will you be the one?

You do not need special skills or experience to become a Big or a Friend. You need a willingness to spend time together, try new things, and build a relationship. Some matches cheer on the Red Sox, some grab coffee, some explore a new neighborhood, and some spend an afternoon talking and listening. Our clinical team pairs each volunteer with a participant and stays with the match to help the relationship grow.

It takes four to six hours a month. The ripple effect goes both ways; 89% of our volunteers tell us their match made a difference in their own lives. Harold had Joe. Their friendship lasted a lifetime.

Somewhere in Greater Boston, someone is waiting for you. Raise your hand and show up.

Learn more about becoming a Big or a Friend.

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