Friends of the Children – Utah’s mission is to impact generational change by empowering youth facing the greatest obstacles through consistent, holistically supportive 1:1 relationships with professional mentors (called ‘Friends’) for 12+ years, no matter what.
Working with schools and community partners, they identify and enroll children from underserved communities between ages 4 to 6 who are living in intergenerational poverty and who are most likely to experience an inequitable lack of access to quality education. Once a child is enrolled, Friends of the Children commits to walk alongside youth from kindergarten through high school graduation. This long-term commitment and connection to a dedicated caring Friend creates the transformational change needed to overcome cycles of poverty and adversity. Their program is proven to not only dramatically increase youths’ rates of high school graduation, but also to improve the quality and richness of their educational experience. In 2023, the Call Foundation provided a general operating grant in support of the Friends of the Children Utah and their work to prevent foster care entry and support youth experiencing foster care.