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About

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Impacting Children's Lives Together

Friends of the Children–Central Oregon 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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    Planning for Friends of the Children–Central Oregon began in April 2016 with a target implementation date of September 2017. Planning, community awareness, and fund development was under the direction and leadership of Duncan Campbell and championed by Kim Hatfield, current Executive Director.

    In August 2016, Oregon Community Foundation’s local Donor Relations Officer led a potential donor to Friends–Central Oregon. A meeting was held with these generous donors in November of 2016, and they made a start-up commitment of $200,000, which was soon after matched by the Tykeson Family and The Campbell Foundation. Since that time, the Central Oregon community has stepped up to provide commitments for a three-year operating budget and beyond. Showing the intention of Central Oregon residents to commit to children facing the greatest obstacles for 12+ years, no matter what!

    Friends of the Children–Central Oregon is going on their fifth year of operations and have purchased their forever home, The Ranch. It will offer space for active learning, discovery, and healing for the children they serve. It will be a permanent sanctuary for Friends and youth to connect, build resiliency, and feel at home. Owning this property outside the Bend and Redmond city limits will improve the organization’s sustainability over the long-term, decrease operational expenses, as well as enable equitable access for children in Crook and Jefferson Counties. Friends of the Children–Central Oregon is currently on track to mentor 64 youth by the end of 2022.

  • 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.