About

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Friends of the Children–Tacoma is part of a national network of Friends of the Children chapters across the United States. Friends of the Children connects children – all of whom have unique talents – to a paid, professional mentor called a Friend. We hire and train Friends whose full-time jobs are to support our youth to succeed, despite the extremely challenging situations most experience, from as early as age 4 through high school graduation – 12+ years, no matter what.

Our model is distinct, courageous and proven. We redefined youth mentoring by creating the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country. Friends are experts in building sustained and nurturing relationships with youth. Our model is evidence-informed and research-based, and we have proven long-term outcomes to show it works.

This is at the core of what we do. Each day, our Friends advocate and help amplify the voices of our youth and their families who often become voiceless in the midst of the systemic failures. By challenging the status quo, we also help shift the way institutions and systems view and treat our youth and their families. Friends also create meaningful experiences that teach youth to build life skills and make informed decisions while exploring the child’s diverse talents and interests.

Our model is real, and it works.

Our Mission

Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.

Values

At the core of Friends of the Children’s mission is our organizational value of putting children first—walking alongside youth who face some of life’s hardest challenges from kindergarten through high school, for 12+ years no matter what.

Put Children First

Putting Children First as a key value for the organization means that the youth we serve are the primary focus of everything we do at Friends of the Children. We intentionally serve youth who are facing great obstacles. We listen to youth and base decisions on their needs and dreams, as they write their own stories of success. We foster a supportive, consistent relationship between each youth and professional mentor—a relationship that grows through high school, and into their adult lives.

Friends of the Children–Tacoma was the dream of a group of dedicated individuals, and through the catalytic $500,000 investment from the Medina Foundation in 2018, the drive to open a Friends of the Children chapter in Tacoma, Wash., was born. Funders, including the Schultz Family Foundation, Ben B. Cheney Foundation, Bamford Family Foundation, Gary E. Milgard Foundations and over 30 Tacoma area individuals and foundations generously donated to form our seed money. We started our hiring processes in December 2019 and were fully staffed by dynamic and passionate Tacoma natives by February 2020.

Friends–Tacoma will work with area organizations serving families impacted by foster care, and the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to identify and enroll children ages 4 to 6 in the program. Each child will be paired with a Friend one-on-one who will spend three to four hours a week through high school graduation–12+ years, no matter what.

Friends–Tacoma is implementing an intentional Two-Generation (2Gen) approach, working with parents to build critical parenting skills that empower them to advocate for their child in school and strengthen bonds. Friends will also support parents in accessing housing, employment and social service resources while measuring both youth and parent outcomes.
Friends of the Children was established in 1993 by entrepreneur Duncan Campbell and his wife, Cindy Campbell, in Portland, Ore. The Campbells purchased a school building in the same Northeast Portland neighborhood where Duncan experienced a challenging childhood. After finding business success, Duncan wanted to help kids who grew up in an environment like his. In 1992, the Campbell Institute for Children, conducted extensive research to determine the most effective program model to help young children overcome adversity and realize their inherent resilience and potential. The research clearly indicated that the strongest protective factor a child can have is a long-term, nurturing relationship with a consistent and caring adult.

Friends of the Children began with just three salaried, professional mentors called Friends and 24 children. Friends of the Children has grown to employ hundreds of Friends who serve thousands of children across the nation. You can view the full list of locations on our national website.