Our second cohort is full.

Sixteen more children in Union County have been matched with a paid, professional mentor (a Friend) who will show up for them every week from kindergarten through graduation. 12+ years, no matter what.

That brings us to 32.

Who's joining

The children coming in this fall are 4, 5, and 6 years old. Kindergartners, mostly. Kids right at the front end of their school story, which is exactly where our model starts.

That timing is deliberate. The research our model is built on is clear: the single most important factor in overcoming childhood adversity is a long-term, nurturing relationship with a consistent and caring adult. Every child we enroll gets that from day one.

A third Friend has been hired to work with the new cohort, and we're hiring a fourth. If you know someone built for this work, send them our way.

What the first year built

Our first cohort filled fast. Sixteen children, 8 boys and 8 girls, attending school in Imbler, Union, and La Grande. The Clubhouse on the second floor of First Presbyterian Church turned into a second home, with books, games, craft supplies, and a reading nook that gets plenty of use.

The community grew around it. We started with two referral partners and we have six now, including all three local school districts, Eastern Oregon University Head Start, the Center for Human Development, and Oregon Department of Human Services Child Welfare. When schools and agencies across Union County are all helping connect kids to the program, that says something about the trust being built here.

One of those kids is a girl who notices what everyone else steps over. Her Friend wrote about her here.

What doubling takes

Twice the children means twice the weekly outings and twice the miles driven across Union County. It also means what it meant on day one: neighbors deciding these kids are worth investing in.

For every $1 invested in Friends of the Children, the community sees over $7 back in saved social costs. That's the network's 30-year track record, and it's the foundation we're building on here.

Because we're still a young chapter, gifts right now go straight into that foundation. $50 puts books and learning tools in the Clubhouse for a child starting kindergarten this fall.

August 26

On the first day of school, 32 kids in Imbler, Union, and La Grande walk in with someone behind them. Sixteen of them for the second year running. Sixteen for the very first time.

Thank you for being part of it early.