BY TERRI SORENSEN and PEGGY MAGUIRE

Patrick was only 6 years old when he was paired with his "Friend," Carlos, a full-time, salaried, professional mentor from Friends of the Children.

Now a college graduate, Patrick credits Carlos and Friends of the Children for keeping his life from spiraling out of control. "There were several times in my life where I could've made a wrong decision had I not been with Carlos," says Patrick.

Friends of the Children, which was founded in Portland in 1993 by entrepreneur Duncan Campbell, does something radically different from other organizations. They identify kids who are facing the highest possible risks, and give them a long-term mentor, or "Friend," from kindergarten through high school graduation: 12.5 years - no matter what.

Strong role models create change

According to the Academic Pediatric Association, one in five children lives in a family with income below the federal poverty level. Additional factors, such as social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences contribute to the cycle of poverty. The difficulty is in knowing how to change the story so that children can claim a brighter, more hopeful future.

Research has shown that having strong role models is critical to patterning behaviors such as how to live a healthy life, treat others well and manage a household. Having a relationship with a caring and supportive adult is one of the main factors in building resiliency in children, particularly those who have experienced toxic stress and trauma.

One formula that has proved successful is the Friends of the Children model. Moving mentoring out of the volunteer realm ensures the quality, consistency and commitment needed to help the child create a new story and break the cycle of poverty. More than just an afterschool program, "Friends" spend time with the children in their homes, schools and communities for 12.5 years. This helps build resiliency in children, reduces the impact of trauma and builds healthier communities.

A majority of the children in the program come from low-income communities faced with the greatest challenges, including disproportionately high incarceration, high school dropout and teen pregnancy rates. They also are at high risk for substance abuse, entering foster care and domestic violence.

How successful has the program been? The outcomes for giving children a consistent, caring adult in their life are remarkable: 83 percent of youth graduate from high school, 93 percent avoid the juvenile justice system and 98 percent avoid early parenting.

Innovation leads to expansion to other communities

Improving the odds of leading a successful life for one child not only helps the individual, it makes financial sense. For every $1 invested in Friends of the Children, the community benefits more than $7 in saved social costs, according to a study by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon. Helping one child saves the community $900,000.

Based on the overwhelming success of the model, Friends of the Children just announced new chapters in Central Oregon; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, and an expansion of the Boston chapter, bringing the total number of sites across the country and in the United Kingdom to 15.

In addition to support from organizations like the Cambia Health Foundation, the national expansion is funded by the Social Innovation Fund, a federal matching grant opportunity.

The incredible work being done by the founding chapter, which Cambia Health Foundation also supports, has helped shine a positive light on how Portland, a hub for social innovation, is addressing critical social issues. Their successes have paved the way for replicating the model across the country.

You can help

Friends of the Children helps change the story and chart a better future for children and their families. We invite companies and individuals to consider investing time and resources into organizations that make a positive impact on the health of our communities and create opportunities for upward social mobility.

-- Terri Sorensen is president of Friends of the Children. Peggy Maguire is president and board chair of the Cambia Health Foundation. Learn more about this successful model at friendsofthechildren.org.