Friends of the Children - Chicago

Friends of the Children - Chicago Empowering youth facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with paid, Professional Mentors for 12.5 years, No Matter What

"Press forward, work hard, and never give up." 🎓✨These are the words that Claudia* shared with students, faculty, friend...
06/18/2026

"Press forward, work hard, and never give up." 🎓✨

These are the words that Claudia* shared with students, faculty, friends, and family in her Welcome Speech at her school's 8th grade graduation ceremony. Claudia has been in our program since she was in kindergarten. We have been with her as she faced obstacles, overcame challenges, and achieved goals. And this year, Claudia's first Professional Mentor Phalon, and her current mentor Tatiana, were two of the loudest voices cheering for Claudia as she delivered her speech and received her diploma.

We are immensely proud of Claudia and each of our youth who are graduating 8th grade this year. It is an honor to walk alongside them as they grow into young adults. And we will be there at every step, all the way through their high school graduation. We remember who they were as kindergartners, celebrate who they are now, and imagine who they will become.

Watch Claudia deliver the Welcome Speech at her graduation ceremony: https://youtube.com/shorts/216bPieXgdQ?feature=share

We have an engineer in the making! Chris* made a cat out of magnet tiles 😺
06/11/2026

We have an engineer in the making! Chris* made a cat out of magnet tiles 😺

06/09/2026

Join us for A Conversation with Friends on Tuesday, June 23rd at 12pm Central! This is a free, 30-minute Zoom call where you will have the chance to hear directly from Professional Mentor Timothy Colar and Executive Director Taal Hasak-Lowy about the life-changing support that Timothy provides for the youth that he mentors.

Every child in our program is paired with a paid, Professional Mentor from kindergarten through high school graduation — 12.5 years, No Matter What. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how mentors like Timothy are helping Chicago kids build brighter futures!

RSVP Today! https://friendschicago.org/get-involved/events/conversationwithfriends

06/05/2026

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to spend a day with a Friends of the Children Professional Mentor? Now you can see it firsthand.

Check out A Day in the Life with Layla* and her Professional Mentor, Tanvi.

At Friends-Chicago, we’re helping youth tell their own stories while building literacy, communication, and creative skills along the way.

With guidance from Professional Mentors David and Nate, each child plans, films, and edits their own Day in the Life with My Mentor video. They write plans for their outings, learn the basics of video production, and experiment with editing and voiceover recording. Most importantly, they discover that their voices — and the stories they choose to tell — are powerful.

Thank you for helping create opportunities for young people to learn, explore, and imagine new possibilities for their futures.

Stay tuned this summer for more stories from the Day in the Life series!

What's better than reading?Reading with friends! 📚✨
06/01/2026

What's better than reading?

Reading with friends! 📚✨

Who wants pancakes? 🥞 Aria* does! Nothing beats starting the day with a yummy breakfast with your Professional Mentor ✨...
05/29/2026

Who wants pancakes? 🥞 Aria* does! Nothing beats starting the day with a yummy breakfast with your Professional Mentor ✨

"Do you want to be best friends?" - Winnie* and Zola* 🥺
05/26/2026

"Do you want to be best friends?" - Winnie* and Zola* 🥺

Kian*, Travis*, and Mr. David had a blast at the auto show 🚗
05/21/2026

Kian*, Travis*, and Mr. David had a blast at the auto show 🚗

It is always an honor to have the chance to connect with State Senator Lakesia Collins. Senator Collins, thank you for b...
05/20/2026

It is always an honor to have the chance to connect with State Senator Lakesia Collins. Senator Collins, thank you for being on our Team of Support!

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1030 W Van Buren Street
Chicago, IL
60607

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+17733598159

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