Our Mission
Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.
Friends of the Children–Portland began serving youth in Clark County over 15 years ago. On an increasing basis, youth enrolled through Portland school districts were moving to Vancouver, where affordable housing is in greater supply.
Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.
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.
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.
We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.
We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.
We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.
The decision to establish a new Friends chapter in SW Washington builds on the momentum created by an advisory council made up of SW Washington community leaders. This galvanized and committed group raised $2.8 million in multi-year giving to support program services and operations and the enrollment of 20 kindergarteners this spring through our new partnerships with Burton and Mill Plain elementary schools in Evergreen Public Schools.
In partnership with the Friends of the Children's national team, the Friends of the Children–Portland's Board of Directors and the SW Washington's Advisory Council determined that community support was strong enough. The community need was great enough to make SW Washington its own chapter. Establishing a new chapter allows us to create programming that can more directly address the specific needs of the community.
A local chapter is better positioned to leverage important community resources and build and strengthen partnerships that are critical to supporting our youth. A longtime Friends of the Children–Portland employee, Allison Pauletto, was hired to serve as executive director of the SW Washington chapter. Allison began her career at Friends 14 years ago, and most recently served as the chief development officer for the Portland chapter.
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.