Friends Today – Friends Tomorrow – Friends Today – Friends Tomorrow –

Friends ForeverFriends Forever

What is Faithful Friends?What is Faithful Friends?

Faithful Friends– St. Louis is a non-profit Faithful Friends– St. Louis is a non-profit organization that provides St. Louis’ most organization that provides St. Louis’ most at-risk children with intensive and long-at-risk children with intensive and long-term mentors. term mentors.

We take a preventive, early intervention We take a preventive, early intervention approach that breaks the cycle of poverty approach that breaks the cycle of poverty and abuse by helping children in need and abuse by helping children in need overcome the many obstacles in their overcome the many obstacles in their lives. lives.

Our Mission:Our Mission: Faithful Friends provides our community’s most Faithful Friends provides our community’s most

vulnerable and challenged children a loving, vulnerable and challenged children a loving, caring, nurturing, and sustained relationship with caring, nurturing, and sustained relationship with a full-time, paid, professionally trained mentor a full-time, paid, professionally trained mentor (called a Friend) who teaches positive values and (called a Friend) who teaches positive values and has attainable expectations in order that each has attainable expectations in order that each child becomes a healthy, productive member of child becomes a healthy, productive member of our community. our community.

We begin working with children in Kindergarten We begin working with children in Kindergarten and continue to support them through high school and continue to support them through high school graduation. Friends will spend at least 4 hours a graduation. Friends will spend at least 4 hours a week with each child.week with each child.

Our History:Our History: Entrepreneur Duncan Campbell’s own troubled youth Entrepreneur Duncan Campbell’s own troubled youth

provided the impetus for founding Friends of the Children in provided the impetus for founding Friends of the Children in 1993.1993.

It began with three mentors (called Friends) serving 24 It began with three mentors (called Friends) serving 24

children in three northeast Portland, Oregon children in three northeast Portland, Oregon neighborhoods. neighborhoods.

Today, more than 80 Friends are guiding, supporting and Today, more than 80 Friends are guiding, supporting and mentoring over 600 children in eight communities across mentoring over 600 children in eight communities across the country. the country.

Faithful Friends is a faith-based model of Friends of the Faithful Friends is a faith-based model of Friends of the Children, which began in 2006. Its only chapter is located in Children, which began in 2006. Its only chapter is located in St. Louis, Missouri.St. Louis, Missouri.

We Are Unique: We Are Unique: There are three key elements that make Faithful There are three key elements that make Faithful

Friends so unique:Friends so unique:

We mentor the children in our community who We mentor the children in our community who need us the need us the mostmost..

Our mentors (called Friends) are full-time, paid Our mentors (called Friends) are full-time, paid and professionally trained. and professionally trained.

We make a twelve and a half year (12 ½) We make a twelve and a half year (12 ½) commitment to each child, selecting them in commitment to each child, selecting them in kindergarten and guiding them through high kindergarten and guiding them through high school graduation. school graduation. ((There is nothing a child can There is nothing a child can do to be kicked out of our programdo to be kicked out of our program.).)

A Little Bit About Our Kids: A Little Bit About Our Kids: Most of our children fall far below grade level in almost Most of our children fall far below grade level in almost

every subject area, so much of the one-on-one time is every subject area, so much of the one-on-one time is spent reading, working on homework, teaching study skills, spent reading, working on homework, teaching study skills, etc.etc.

Many of our children live in dangerous neighborhoods and Many of our children live in dangerous neighborhoods and some are not allowed to go out and play because it is not some are not allowed to go out and play because it is not safe to be outside. Our mentors take the children to fun safe to be outside. Our mentors take the children to fun places like the Science Center, ice skating etc. Many of the places like the Science Center, ice skating etc. Many of the children in our program went swimming in a pool for the children in our program went swimming in a pool for the first time during Summer Camp last summer. first time during Summer Camp last summer.

Many of our children live in poverty and are the children of Many of our children live in poverty and are the children of parents who are or have been incarcerated, teen parents or parents who are or have been incarcerated, teen parents or high school dropouts. high school dropouts.

A Little Bit About Our Kids: A Little Bit About Our Kids: The majority of our children do not have a parent at home The majority of our children do not have a parent at home

after school and live with a single parent, a guardian, after school and live with a single parent, a guardian, grandparent, aunt or uncle or foster parent. grandparent, aunt or uncle or foster parent.

Many of our children have faced neglect and abuse.Many of our children have faced neglect and abuse.

Many of our children have seen crime firsthand, including Many of our children have seen crime firsthand, including violent crime. violent crime.

Many of our children have anger issues they do not know Many of our children have anger issues they do not know how to deal with and often act out in school. how to deal with and often act out in school.

Our Friends (mentors) help our children understand the Our Friends (mentors) help our children understand the complex and difficult world around them and work with complex and difficult world around them and work with them to develop safe and productive ways to confront the them to develop safe and productive ways to confront the issues they face in their day to day lives. issues they face in their day to day lives.

Three Goals Guide The Way:Three Goals Guide The Way:

We desire each of our children to We desire each of our children to have a bright future, and we believe have a bright future, and we believe they can. Our work is guided by they can. Our work is guided by three long-term goals that we set for three long-term goals that we set for each child in our program: each child in our program:

Goal 1Goal 1

Success in school with a Success in school with a minimum of H.S. diploma minimum of H.S. diploma ((preferredpreferred) or GED) or GED

Our Success Rate: Our Success Rate: 92%92% attend school regularly; attend school regularly; 82% 82% of our program graduates have of our program graduates have

earned a H.S. diploma or GEDearned a H.S. diploma or GED more than 40% of our youth have a more than 40% of our youth have a

parent that did not complete high parent that did not complete high schoolschool

Goal 2Goal 2

Avoid involvement in the Avoid involvement in the juvenile justice system juvenile justice system

Our Success Rate: Our Success Rate: 92%92% have avoided the juvenile have avoided the juvenile

justice system justice system despite at least 60%despite at least 60% having one or having one or

more parents who have been more parents who have been incarcerated incarcerated

Goal 3Goal 3

Avoid early parentingAvoid early parenting

Our SuccessOur Success 98% of adolescents avoid early 98% of adolescents avoid early

parenting parenting despite at least 60%despite at least 60% having been having been

born to a teen parentborn to a teen parent

Cost On the EconomyCost On the Economy

The cost for a child to be The cost for a child to be incarcerated for one year is 87,000incarcerated for one year is 87,000

The yearly cost of a teen parent is The yearly cost of a teen parent is 16,00016,000

Theyearly cost for Faithful Friends is Theyearly cost for Faithful Friends is 9,2009,200

Your Support: Your Support: We know that the program model works . . . one-We know that the program model works . . . one-

on-one relationships developed at an early age on-one relationships developed at an early age with a long-term commitment made to each child. with a long-term commitment made to each child. A secure, caring and sustained relationship is the A secure, caring and sustained relationship is the master key which opens minds, creates master key which opens minds, creates opportunities and rekindles hope for the future. opportunities and rekindles hope for the future.

Our desire is to change children's lives for the Our desire is to change children's lives for the better . . . one child at a time, however we need better . . . one child at a time, however we need help from people like help from people like youyou..

Your Support:Your Support:

I invite you to support us by doing I invite you to support us by doing oneone or or more of the following:more of the following:

Join us for one of our eventsJoin us for one of our events VolunteerVolunteer Financially contributeFinancially contribute Tell someone else about what Faithful Friends is Tell someone else about what Faithful Friends is

doing. doing.

Thank You!Thank You!

Thank you for Thank you for helping us serve helping us serve

and save one child and save one child at a time! at a time!