13 Foster Elementary First-Graders Introduced To New 'Friend'

TAMPA, FL — Thirteen of Foster Elementary first-graders were welcomed into the Friends of the Children Tampa Bay's mentoring program with a gift of a backpack full of school supplies, a care package for their parents and a new bike.

Friends of the Children Tampa Bay mentors were joined by Hillsborough County school teachers and volunteers who formed a parade to visit each of the 13 students at their homes.

After so long away from school, the kids were more excited to see their teacher than the new bikes.

The children were chosen for the mentoring program after it was determined they would benefit most from a long-term relationship with a professional mentor.

The nonprofit program partners with community organizations, schools and the foster care system to help identify children ages 4 to 6 in need of a "Friend."

Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit that pairs children facing the highest risks with a salaried, professional mentor— called a Friend—for 12 ½ years. The Tampa Bay chapter of Friends of the Children launched four years ago and serves children in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Of the children who complete the program:

• 83 percent graduate from high school, although 60 percent had parents who did not graduate high school
• 93 percent avoid the juvenile justice system, although 50 percent had parents who were incarcerated
• 98 percent avoided early parenting, although 85 percent were born to a teen parent

Courtesy Hillsborough County Schools