Friends of the Children (FOTC) is an early intervention program whose mission is to help our nation’s highest risk children develop the relationships, goals, and skills necessary to break the cycles of poverty, abuse, and violence by developing into contributing members of society. They begin by identifying children who are at risk of being trapped in poverty because of their vulnerability to school failure, drug involvement, and teen pregnancy. They often come from a background of poverty and homelessness and experience neglect, abuse and domestic violence. FOTC employs trained, salaried, professional mentors called Friends – this is their full-time job. By moving out of the volunteer realm of a mentor, FOTC ensures quality, consistency, and commitment for the youth.
