FRIENDS & CO
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Mission Statement
Friends & Co celebrates aging through community-led service that fosters meaningful connections for everyone.
About This Cause
About Friends & Co: Friends & Co (formerly Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly) is a non-profit volunteer-based organization committed to reducing isolation and loneliness among older adults. Friends & Co celebrates aging through community-led service that fosters meaningful connections for everyone. Friends & Co is driven by the understanding that social connection is vital not only for individual mental, physical, and emotional health, but also for the health and well-being of our communities. This vital importance of social connection is well-evidenced. For example, the United States Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory brings together decades of research highlighting the significance of community connectedness, especially for older adults who face unique challenges related to social isolation and loneliness. Research unequivocally shows that older adults are at the greatest risk of social isolation and are therefore subject to a variety of increased health risks including a stunning 50% increased risk of death by any cause (including diseases) and a 50% increased risk of cognitive decline (including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease)—even after controlling for demographics and health status. For over 50 years, Friends & Co has provided no-cost, high-quality programs aimed at reducing isolation and loneliness for older adults. Our Phone Companions and Visiting Companions programs pair volunteers for phone and in-person relationship building. Our Coffee Talk program is a way for older adults to connect with volunteers via phone at their convenience. Our Let’s Do Lunch Cafe program engages older adults in the LGBTQ+ community for social connection and education over lunch and coffee. Our newly expanded Cards Connect program brings cheer, comfort, and connection 4 times a year to older adults who are isolated and alone. These programs provide much-needed access to friendship, community connectedness, and social engagement, which results in healthier older adults and stronger communities. Currently, we are in need of volunteers for three main programs: Cards Connect: Our Cards Connect program engages volunteers to provide hand-made holiday cards to lonely and isolated older adults. In FY24, we delivered nearly 5,000 cards to older adults in Minnesota and have recently expanded this program to connect with older adults throughout the year. Visiting Companions and Phone Companions programs: Our Visting Companions and Phone Companions programs pair older adults with volunteers for long-term in-person and phone-based relationships. As the result of our deliberate capacity-building efforts, in our fiscal year 2024 the number of older adults matched with volunteers for these services nearly doubled, increasing by 92%.