Friends of the Children - Portland

06/04/2026

At the beginning of this year, Liliana* was a few levels behind in reading and writing and didn't love going to school.

Tosha, her mentor, wanted to help her get to a place where she could enjoy going to school, so she partnered with the FriendsPDX School Success team and Liliana's mom to find the right kind of educational support for Liliana.

Through regular tutoring, Liliana is now at a place where she's excited about school and proud of the progress she's made. Her next big goal is to read the Junie B. Jones books on her own, and she's getting close!

Read her full story! https://friendspdx.org/stories/its-pretty-fun-actually

*Name changed for privacy.

06/02/2026

Meet Brian, one of our program alum's, who shared his story for this year's Friend Raiser. 🩵

Brian described his time at FriendsPDX as a journey of growth. From describing himself as a chaotic child with a lot of energy, to being a calm, compassionate, and respectful young adult who found a passion for river guiding through his time at FriendsPDX and with support from his mentor, Paul.

Brian's story is just one example of the hundreds of kids that we walk alongside each year.🩵

06/01/2026

So honored to be featured on KOIN AM Extra last week as a recipient of the Bridge2Kids charity golf tournament happening on June 9th! ⛳

We are so excited about this partnership and glad to stand alongside some other amazing nonprofits in Portland, New Avenues and the Dougy Center.

Thank you KOIN AM Extra for highlighting this awesome event! ⛳

Watch the segment: https://www.koin.com/video/bridge-to-kids-golf-tournament-to-benefit-local-nonprofits-supporting-children/11833591

05/29/2026

One of the ways we support youth mental health is with our therapy dog, Mojo. 🩵

Mojo supports both literacy and mental health as kids will often practice reading to Mojo which gives them an outlet to have a low-pressure read aloud experience and gain the benefits of being around an animal.

Grateful for Mojo (and their owner!) for partnering with us and providing kids with this opportunity.

05/27/2026

We are so honored to have been selected as a recipient for this year's Charity Golf Tournament! ⛳

The Bridge Pro Am charity tournament will take place on June 8th and 9th, and we are so excited to be part of this tournament to share more about the work we do to build 1:1 relationships with youth through professional mentorship.

Check out this FOX 12 Oregon feature to learn more about this tournament! https://www.kptv.com/2026/05/15/pro-golfers-across-pacific-northwest-compete-charity-tournament/

05/26/2026

May is Mental Health Month, and we sat down with one of our mentors to talk about what kids are struggling the most with in 2026.

A key trend that mentors are seeing with the kids they work with is stress around interpersonal relationships - things like making friends, dating, and teachers/parents being unfair.

One way that we facilitate peer to peer community is through our five peer support groups. These groups are an opportunity for kids to connect on things that are hard or just to make new friends in a safe space, as well as connect with other adults.

Read this full story where Trace shares more of his reflections: https://friendspdx.org/stories/mental-health-matters

05/22/2026

Here are some of the FriendsPDX youth who helped make this year's Friend Raiser possible!

Our floral center pieces were made by a group of program youth and Steering Committee members with support from Megan at Fieldwork Flowers. 💐

We are so grateful for all the thought and care that went into putting these bouquets together and to have FriendsPDX youth involved in this event in such a big way!

05/19/2026

We can't believe Friend Raiser 2026 is over! So grateful for everyone who came out to celebrate the amazing youth in our community. 🩵

Your support means that we can continue to walk alongside Portland youth as they navigate challenges, find stability, chase their dreams, and explore new passions.

Full event album here! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1305699185101436&type=3

05/19/2026