Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children is a prevention/early intervention program whose mission is to help our nation's highest risk children develop the relationships, goals, and skills necessary to break the cycles of poverty, abuse and violence in order to become contributing members of society. Friends of the Children selects children who are most in danger of school failure, abuse, neglect, juvenile delinquency, gang and drug involvement, and teenage pregnancy. These are children who often live in poverty and many have been in foster care, on welfare, have parents who are incarcerated, or are homeless. The program matches each child with a carefully screened, full-time, professional mentor (called a Friend). Each week, a Friend spends quality one-on-one time with a child. Friends teach vaulable life skills, instill positive attitudes, and help the children grow into responsible adults. By modeling healthy behavior, exposing children to new, positive experiences and caring for each child individually, Friends take an active, preventative approach to breaking the cycles of poverty, violence, and abuse. Friends of the Children stays with each child from first grade through high school.