Program pairs youth with paid, professional mentors for 12+ years
Friends of the Children Opening a Philadelphia Location
Program pairs youth with paid, professional mentors for 12+ years
PHILADELPHIA – Friends of the Children, a national nonprofit that pairs children who face multiple systemic obstacles with a paid, professional mentor called a Friend for 12+ years, announced today that they are launching a new Friends of the Children chapter in Philadelphia. Dr. Betty Handy, a seasoned leader with deep roots in Philadelphia, has been selected to lead the new chapter.
“I’m deeply honored and excited to be selected as the Executive Director of Friends of the Children-Philadelphia,” said Handy. “Most importantly, I am thrilled to continue my commitment to supporting the youth of Philadelphia. Friends of the Children has made a significant impact across the country with mentors who provide long-term support. We are eager to bring this successful model to Philadelphia to help children facing substantial obstacles.”
Under Handy’s leadership, and with the support of a committed board, staff, partners and supporters, the new chapter will focus on serving students at WD Kelley Elementary School in North Philadelphia, Bayard Taylor Elementary School and the North 10 Lenfest Center in Kensington. The chapter aims to address critical issues such as extreme poverty, gun violence, substance use disorders, and learning loss, providing children with the support they need to overcome these challenges.
Each child selected will be paired with a Friend whose full-time job is to spend four hours a week one-on-one with youth at school, at home and in the community. These Friends will support youth—and by extension, their families—for 12+ years, building trusting relationships through a trauma-informed lens that provides critical social, emotional, and academic support.
The School District of Philadelphia has become a key partner in working toward bringing the Friends of the Children model to Philadelphia. The launch has been several years in the making since The Philadelphia CItizen featured the national organization in a 2017 article.
With more than $1.2 million dollars in seed funding raised from a diverse group of investors to launch the chapter, the chapter is poised to make a significant difference in the community. Funders include the William Penn Foundation, K Ten Kids Foundation, Progress Charitable Foundation DE, a national grant from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott and various individual donors.
“The launch of Friends of the Children in Philadelphia has the potential to be truly transformative for our city,” said Board Chair Dwayne Warton, M.Ed. of Just Strategies. “This innovative model, which pairs children with dedicated mentors who provide long-term, consistent support, offers a critical opportunity to address the urgent challenges facing our youth. By introducing this proven approach to Philadelphia, we are making a significant investment in our children’s futures and strengthening our collective efforts to combat poverty, violence, and educational inequities.”
Steven Scott Bradley, president and founder of Bradley & Bradley Associates, LLC and Katrina (Keating) Ernst, who now serves as the Senior Engagement Manager at Coforge, have also been appointed as founding members of the board of directors.
Research funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation showed that the presence of a Friend in a child’s life benefits the entire family. A third-party evaluation of Friends of the Children program graduates showed that:
92% of graduates go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country or enter the workforce
83% of youth obtain a high school diploma or GED
93% remain free from juvenile justice system involvement
98% wait to parent until after their teen years
Over the last 10 years, Friends of the Children has grown from five to 41 locations across the United States. Friends of the Children – Philadelphia is actively hiring staff in Philadelphia, formalizing partnerships and building its board of directors. Handy recently attended a Friends of the Children gala with World Champion Gymnast and Youth Advocate Simone Biles, who is the national ambassador for the organization. Learn more at friendsphiladelphia.org.
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About Friends of the Children
Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit with the mission of impacting generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what. Our successful model is now in 40 locations around the country. Our work has been featured in The New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and CBS News. Visit friendsofthechildren.org to learn more and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ariane Le Chevallier (ariane@lechevallierstrategies.com / 971-201-1214)