About
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.
Our Mission
Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.
Our Values
Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends and program teams but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views the youth and families we serve.
Put Children First
We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth’s needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.
Build Relationships on Love
We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance and culturally-informed practice. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We commit for the long-term. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We believe that we build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful and meaningful.
Commit to Empowerment
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.
Pursue Goals Relentlessly
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.
Demand Equity
We acknowledge the historical and present injustices impacting marginalized communities. We demand equity from ourselves and from our community. We insist that all people have the necessary support to achieve all of their hopes and dreams. We amplify the voices of our children, families and communities. We bring together different experiences, skills and backgrounds to provide opportunities to overcome personal, systemic and institutional barriers.
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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.
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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.