FRIENDS PROGRAM INC
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Mission Statement
The Friends Program, founded in 1975, strengthens New Hampshire communities by building relationships that empower people, encourage community service, and restore faith in the human spirit – “Building Relationships…Restoring Hope.” The organization strives to meet its mission through the implementation of mentoring programs for at-risk youth (Youth Mentoring Program), emergency housing for homeless families with children (Emergency Housing), an intergenerational program that creates meaningful opportunities for seniors to work with children (Foster Grandparent Program), and a senior volunteer program that links a volunteer’s skills to otherwise unmet needs within the communities that we serve (Retired Senior Volunteer Program- RSVP). The agency deploys approximately 800 screened and trained volunteers annually who serve the immediate needs of over 4,000 children, homeless families, and low-income seniors throughout the eight counties in New Hampshire where we operate.
About This Cause
The Friends Emergency Housing Program provides homeless families with critical, temporary emergency housing, support, education, training and skills that help position them to access critical resources and obtain and maintain permanent housing. We can house up to 8 families at a time and are almost always at capacity. Our families come from all over the state and include all ages, genders and backgrounds. The Friends Foster Grandparent Program (FGP), is an established, well respected educational program that focuses on early childhood development and education support to at-risk children, as well as supporting children’s behavioral, emotional, & educational needs. The Friends FGP accomplishes this by placing low-income senior volunteers in childcare centers and public school classrooms to provide critical support to improve student learning. In addition, the seniors see improved economic and health outcomes while building knowledge and skills in child development. Friends FGP addresses the community needs of both at-risk students and seniors throughout the communities where we operate, for the benefit of both populations. Friends Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), which mobilizes, recruits, and screens volunteers 55+ who want to provide community service, coordinated approximately 500 volunteers at 130 non-profit and public organizations to help them serve their clients and meet their missions last year. Our senior volunteers work to increase access to food, medical care, nutrition, exercise, health care, health education, prevention, and improved health outcomes for seniors and families. Friends Youth Mentoring Program matches vulnerable youth in Merrimack County with dedicated and caring volunteers. Our Program supports youngsters referred to us for reasons stemming from poverty, absentee or deceased parents, medical conditions, learning disabilities, exposure to abuse, or New American status. The agency’s referral sources are primarily the local schools, which are part of a network of partner organizations that also include child advocacy, non-profits and government agencies. At this time, approximately 81% of the children and families being served in the Youth Mentoring program live in poverty. We continually strive to maintain full access to programming and service opportunities for all children and families looking to be part of our Program, regardless of their income level. This program provides a highly responsible and meaningful opportunity for a caring mentor to change the life of a disconnected or underserved child in need. Our Youth Mentoring staff members not only assure these screened volunteers are the right fit for such an important undertaking but we also provide the necessary monitoring and support to maximize chances for successful outcomes. We have been diligent in working to keep expenses low, while at the same time making sure to not compromise the value of the Program.