While Utah has one of the lowest child poverty rates in the country, 2023 data shows that nearly 227,000 children are at risk of remaining in poverty as adults.
That number accounts for about 24 percent of all children in the state.
To break the cycle of generational poverty, Friends of the Children created the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country.
Kelsey Lewis, Executive Director of Friends of the Children Utah, says they pair youth ages 4-6 with a full time paid professional mentor, called a Friend.
Kelsey says, "Through these Friends, we can commit to our enrolled youth for 12 years, kindergarten through high school graduation - no matter what."
By moving mentorship out of the volunteer realm, they can make the long-term commitment needed to provide consistency and connection.
The real power of this model is in these long-term relationships. Friends spend four hours each week with youth and their families.
The Friends-Utah chapter supports local children facing the greatest obstacles: generational poverty, homelessness and involvement in child welfare/foster care.
Kelsey says, "Ultimately, we want all parents to have the supports they need to be the parents they want to be, and for all kids to get to be kids – living safely at home with their families."
The youth Friends of the Children Utah serves are at the highest risk for entering the foster care system or are already involved.
30 percent of youth in the program nationwide have experienced out-of-home placement and nearly 30 percent of their caregivers have experienced foster care themselves.
The Friend’s long-term mentorship model has been shown to improve family stability and strengthen protective factors for the entire family unit, we’re aiming for these outcomes:
- Preventing kids from entering the foster care system
- Shortening the time children remain in foster care
- Reducing re-entry once they’re reunited with their families or placed with a permanent guardian or adopted
- These outcomes are important for our state is experiencing a critical shortage of licensed foster parents to care for children
Friends of the Children partner with child welfare systems, local schools and other partners to identify children most in need of a Friend.
They also depend on the community and Regence BlueCross Blue Shield was one of the founding donors to make a catalytic investment and bring this program to Utah in 2020.
Its charitable arm, Cambia Health Foundation, continues to support Friends-Utah as a major donor.
Their ability to serve youth in Utah greatly depends on the caring and generosity of individuals and families who support us. To learn how to get involved with their mission, visit friendsutah.org
Stephen Foxley, Vice President of State Affairs at Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah says, "One compelling reason to support Friends is years of research showing that every dollar invested in this nonprofit organization returns over $7 to the community."
When you consider the costs associated with foster care, juvenile justice, and ongoing poverty, investing in the community’s highest priority youth to break cycles of poverty just makes sense.
One of the key reasons that Regence and its foundation continue to support Friends is the monumental impact of its long-term, professional mentor approach.
Studies show that youth paired with a Friend for 12+ years achieve significantly impactful outcomes:
- 83 percent graduate from high school or earn a GED (50 percent of their parents were dropouts)
- 93 percent remain free from juvenile justice system involvement (60% have a parent who was incarcerated)
- 98% wait to become a parent until after their teens (85% of them were born to a teen parent)
