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About

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Friends of the Children–Tampa Bay 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.

Our 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

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.

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    Welcome!

    Friends of the Children–Tampa Bay is part of the national organization Friends of the Children, which is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018. Friends of the Children is currently in 22 locations across the country—including Tampa Bay—and in the United Kingdom, and will be expanding to 25 cities by 2025.

    Friends of the Children–Tampa Bay initially started as a program through a partner organization in 2014 and began selecting children in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

    In 2018, Friends of the Children made the strategic decision to launch a stand-alone chapter to allow the organization to operate independently and increase the number of children served in the Tampa Bay area.

    Friends of the Children–Tampa Bay serves youth facing multiple systemic obstacles by pairing them with a salaried, professional mentor called a Friend from kindergarten through high school graduation. The organization employs seven Friends and looks forward to growing the chapter as part of a national network that is rapidly expanding.

    We look forward to sharing the mission and vision of Friends with you and helping so many incredible young children break the cycle of poverty.

    Sincerely,

    Jessica Heck, Executive Director, Friends of the Children–Tampa Bay

  • Duncan Campbell

    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.