Issue No. 4
December 2023
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we're so glad you're here!
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As the spirit of the season settles upon us, our hearts are brimming with joy and gratitude at Friends of the Children - Utah. Each moment with our amazing youth and families has been unique and beautiful. We've witnessed resilience bloom amidst adversity, dreams take flight with the generosity of our supporters, and we look forward to the bright promises awaiting our youth and families in the new year. From our extended Friends of the Children Utah family to yours, we wish you a season overflowing with peace, joy, and the unyielding promise of hope and happiness.
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Three preschools. Three expulsions. John's* world was a whirlwind of frustration, school a battleground. His parents were at a loss to help him. With the effort of John’s Friend, Will, John found the support and solutions he needed to stabilize his behavior and regulate his emotions, especially in the classroom. Will referred the family to services and helped John in the classroom at times. Thanks to the consistent connection of his caring Friend, John’s parents receive phone calls from the school praising John: "John was so helpful!", "He's making new friends!", "He's listening! He's sharing!" Fueled by the power of relationship and the consistent support of his Friend, Will, John is continuing to grow and thrive.
*Please note that "John" is a placeholder for the child's actual name, which should be kept confidential.
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Celebrating the season with our incredible youth and families!
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The Friends - Utah clubhouse buzzed with holiday cheer as youth and families gathered for a festive evening of dinner, games, and crafts. Thirty warm pizzas were donated by West Jordan Pizza Hut (2641 W. 7800 S.), fueling festive games of bingo, toss the snowball, and creative holiday crafts. Thanks to the generosity of our community, every family left with a gift card and kits for family game nights, ensuring the fun and connection continues beyond the clubhouse.
We're so grateful to our wonderful team of caring Friends who make a real difference in the lives of our amazing youth and families.
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Friends set goals with their youth, and together, they work toward lifelong transformational outcomes: graduation, avoiding juvenile justice and teen parenting.
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Roadmap Goals are key to designing youth’s activities and creating opportunities for them to grow and thrive. They include highly individualized and intentional goals that track youths progress within five intermediate outcome areas. In the past 6 months our youth have made progress in these important areas:
- 91.67% youth made progress toward School Success
- 95% made progress toward Prosocial Development
- 93.3% made progress toward Improved Health
- 93% made progress toward Making Good Choices
- 90% made progress toward Plans & Skills for the Future
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In case you missed it on December 14th, you can catch the recorded interview with our Executive Director, Kelsey Lewis, on Fox 13's "Healthier Together with Regence" segment!
Kelsey talked with host Amy Nay about Friends of the Children's evidence-based approach to breaking cycles of poverty through the power of relationships with professional mentors called Friends.
Thanks to Fox13Now for sharing the Healthier Together spotlight with Friends - Utah!
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Thank you donors for your impact!
George and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation
Call Foundation
Mark Miller
Scheels
Bank of Utah
Target Circle Community Giving
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It is not too late to support our work with a year-end gift!
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When you invest in Friends of the Children, you invest in the future of our children and our communities.
Our model was founded on research showing that the single most important factor in overcoming childhood trauma is a long-term, nurturing relationship with a consistent and caring adult. As part of our 12-year journey with our families, each child gets 12-16 hours of 1:1 support each month, leading to 1,700+ hours of mentorship in their lifetime!
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By becoming a GEM and giving every month, you're joining our mission to stand by our youth from kindergarten through high school graduation. A gift of any size makes it possible for our Friends to be with their youth week after week, month after month, year after year.
Become a GEM today and commit to generational change!
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Copyright ©️ 2023 Friends of the Children - Utah. All rights reserved.
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Our mailing address is:
Friends of the Children - Utah
5361 S 4220 W
Suite B
Kearns, UT 84118
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