Friends of the Children

About

Friends of the Children was founded in 1993 in Portland, OR with just three Friends—salaried, professional mentors—and 24 children. Today, we are a national network with 37 locations across the country. Friends of the Children was founded by Duncan Campbell, a successful business entrepreneur whose own troubled childhood inspired him to found the organization. Our innovative model pairs children who are in foster care or in high-poverty schools with a Friend. Each child selected for the program has a Friend by their side from kindergarten through high school graduation—12+ years, no matter what. Research has shown that to break the cycle of generational poverty, children need long-term, relationship-based support to graduate from high school, remain free from involvement in the criminal justice system, wait to parent until after their teen years, and pursue opportunities through post-secondary education, serving our country or finding living-wage employment. Third-party evaluation of program graduates shows that: • 83% of our youth graduate with a high school diploma or a GED; • 93% remain free from juvenile justice system involvement; • 98% wait until after their teen years to become parents; and • 92% go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country, or enter the workforce.