March 2026

March is National Reading Month, so we couldn't wait to share this story from Will, one of our professional mentors. Andrew*, one of the youth Will mentors, has been reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. He has even started a small book club at his school with a few of his friends. "Every time I pick him up," Will says, "he is excited to show me the progress he's made through the books and to tell me all about what he's read. He is making connections to the characters, even likening some of them to his own friends. Today, he was telling me about a certain part of the story in the car, then trailed off quietly. I looked in the rearview mirror to notice he had stopped talking because he started reading!"

We hope your National Reading Month is as full of discovery and community as Andrew's! *Youth name changed to protect privacy.

Factory for Good is an organization creating positive change by helping philanthropic families build their own “Factory for Good," a thoughtful approach to giving where each family decides the impact they want to make and supports organizations aligned with their values. Their mission is to substantially impact one million lives through strategic philanthropy.

Factory for Good carefully vets organizations and communicates the impact of these nonprofit partnerships along the way, helping families give with confidence and purpose. Friends of the Children – Utah is grateful for Factory for Good’s work and for the families who have chosen to include our program as part of their Factory, helping expand access to long-term, one-to-one professional mentorship for youth in our community.

You can learn more and join the Factory for Good newsletter here:
https://factoryforgood.com/newsletter-sign-up

We are excited to participate in the first ever Utah Gives day this year. Organized by the Utah Nonprofits Association, Utah Gives is a statewide day of generosity that brings people together to support the causes they care about most.

Early giving begins April 6, and the official giving day is April 30.

Utah Gives falls right in the middle of our Spring Campaign, running April 27 through May 2. During this time, we are raising critical funds to support youth in our program throughout the summer by preventing summer learning loss, promoting literacy, and creating opportunities for kids to explore new experiences and simply be kids.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating generosity and investing in the bright futures of the youth we serve.

This month, our 62 youth kicked off a Friends - Utah Book Club designed to meet readers at every level. Youth are reading Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or How to Train Your Dragon alongside their Friends, with books generously donated by local bookstores Lovebound Books and The Legendarium.

Over the next two months, youth will read together, share their thoughts on our bulletin board, and build connections through shared stories. In April, they’ll celebrate with a movie party featuring the book they read.

By making reading social and supportive, our Friends are helping youth build confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning.

Friends of the Children was recently featured in Inside Philanthropy! The piece highlights Friends of the Children as a national leader in evidence-based impact and long-term professional mentoring for children facing the greatest obstacles. In the article, Friends of the Children - National CEO Terri Sorensen shares how new research and data are helping mentorship organizations demonstrate their impact to funders.

Mentorship is one of the most cost-effective, evidence-backed investments funders can make—and Friends of the Children is proud to help lead the conversation. Learn more about the Inside Philanthropy article here.

Friends - Utah is proud to celebrate the incredible women who lead our organization, support our work, and advocate for youth and families here in the Salt Lake Valley!

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