This spring at Vernon Elementary School, we welcomed into our program a 5-year-old boy, born to a 12-year-old mother. Together they live in a house with 14 people. Yet, each day this young boy walks alone to and from school along the streets of NE Portland. At Friends of the Children – Portland we work with children who face significant challenges and who are in danger of school failure, abuse, neglect, juvenile delinquency, gang and drug involvement and teenage pregnancy. • 93% of our children qualify for free or reduced lunch • 61% are born to teenage mothers • 44% have one or more parents who has been or is currently incarcerated We set three long-term goals for every child we serve in order to lay the foundation for a successful future: • Succeed in school with a minimum of a high school diploma or GED • Avoid involvement in the juvenile justice system • Avoid early parenting One of the most significant factors influencing a child’s abilities to attain each of the aforementioned goals is academic achievement. Children respond positively to school, often increasing academic performance, when it is coupled with participation in mentoring and enrichment activities. Our program is successful. • Success in school with a minimum of a high school diploma or GED: 96% are attending school regularly. 80% earned a High School diploma or GED and 68% of these are the first in their family to do so. • Avoid involvement in juvenile justice system: 92% are not involved in the juvenile justice system despite 44% having at least one parent who has been incarcerated. • Avoid Early Parenting: 97% of adolescents avoid early parenting despite 61% of our youth having been born to a teen mother. Our successes are more than just percentages, our successes are real people changing their lives. Just one example is Chaquetta, a 2006 graduate of Friends. Chaquetta improved her grade point average from a .87 to a 3.75, and in June became only the second person in her family in five generations to graduate from high school. She will be attending Southwestern Community College and plans to become a teacher in NE Portland. This is just one story; we have many more to tell!