Community Partner Project - 4A- Part II

 

Lawrence (Larry) E. Feirman State & Local Government-PSC2301

February 4, 2021 Community Partner Project

Organization:

 

Friends for Youth

741 Broadway

Redwood City, CA 94063

https://www.friendsforyouth.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/friends-for-youth/

About Friends for Youth

What We Do and Who We Are

Friends for Youth is a nationally recognized, award winning direct-service agency with an over four decades history of measurable success matching youth with caring, adult mentors.  Read our 2018 Report below.

 

Our History

Friends for Youth was established in 1979, and since our inception, we have worked to support children who would otherwise go unserved, with an emphasis on positive youth development, academic achievement, health and wellness, prevention services, and critical skills for future self-sufficiency.

DONATE TO OUR PROGRAM

We've helped over 2,000 youth reach their full potential.  Our 90% success rate of creating long-term mentoring matches is far above the 33-37% national average.

Studies have consistently shown that youth in our program improve their motivation and school performance, demonstrate increased self-esteem and resiliency, avoid negative behaviors, and rarely have future involvement with the Juvenile Justice System.

Our mission is to create quality mentoring relationships for the youth who need them most.

We first established our Mentoring Services program, providing direct 1-t0-1, community-based mentoring services to low-income youth ages 8 to 17 in San Mateo County and Northern Santa Clara Counties. Youth are referred by teachers, probation officers, and other youth professionals as being "at-risk" of academic or life-skills failure.

In 2016, in response to substantial need brought to us by Sequoia High School, we implemented a school-based, group mentoring program called Connect™. Incoming freshmen exhibiting academic challenges, behavioral and mental health issues, poverty, and social isolation are identified by the school and served through group mentoring sessions on campus. Connect™has now expanded to serve youth before and after the transition into high school, from 8th to 10th grade. 

 

Award-winning mentoring model

Friends for Youth represents the gold standard in the mentoring field. Mentoring programs throughout the country have requested technical assistance in setting up and enhancing their own mentoring programs.

In order to satisfy this demand, we founded our Mentoring Institute in 1998 with a grant from the Packard Foundation, allowing us to help agencies adopt our successful mentoring model so that more youth would benefit from consistent, caring, and safe mentoring relationships.

In addition to organizational techniques and staff training, we develop educational products to help youth-serving professional including SAFE mentor screening that protects youth mentoring programs from child predators.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS

 

Our Staff

Building powerful mentoring relationships to support the youth who need it most. 

 

KAREN WILMER

CEO

karen@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2870

Karen’s role of CEO evolved from the Chief Operations Officer position that she primarily held at FFY since making the transition to non-profit organizational management in 2004. During her time with Friends of Youth, she has led numerous operational improvement projects, donor development initiatives for individual and corporate gifting, marketing, IT strategy, finance and human resources. 

Karen’s previous for-profit career included vice-president of brand management for national and international businesses for corporations including Neutrogena, Oral-B, and Gillette; as well as a leadership role in a successful start up and IPO. Karen also ran a successful marketing consulting business (FBM Consulting) for 8 years. 

 

CECILIA CHU

MSW

Assistant Director

cecilia@friendsforyouth.org

650-368-4464

Cecilia has a B.S. in Environmental Sciences, a B.A. in Art Practice from UC Berkeley, and most recently, an MSW from Columbia University. She’s been in social services since 2013, starting off as an assistant teacher in Marin County, moving to Japan to teach English for a year and back to the Bay Area to begin her journey at Friends for Youth, running the 1-to-1 Mentoring Program for two years before her Masters. Cecilia worked in development for P2L and the International Rescue Committee in New York and has also worked in Corporate Social Responsibility before the pandemic hit. 

She has always hoped to run nonprofit programs that serve kids who reminded me so much of her and her younger brother. She hopes for a world where all kids can grow up happy and healthy and is very grateful to have the chance to work towards that in her job now. 

Mentor Cece and Mentee Amanda

Cecilia loves animals, especially dogs. She really loves activities and sports (was on the ultimate frisbee team at Cal), biking, spin and the outdoors. As of late, she is learning to golf and hopefully, surf.

 

2021 Lowenstein Fellow

2020 Hoffman Writing Award

2019 Tamer Fellow, Columbia Business School

 

Sarah Norman

Community Partnerships Director

sarahnorman@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2871

Sarah joined Friends for Youth in 2015 as the Program Coordinator for 1-to-1 mentoring and helped launch the school-based group mentoring program in 2016. Sarah now supports our programs by developing community engagement and partnerships, especially the Whole Health for Youth Initiative. Sarah is passionate about creating opportunities for marginalized youth and families and fostering the power of mentoring. She has a B.A. in Planning, Public Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. As an avid volunteer, Sarah received the Leaders of Oregon Award for her work in food access and the national Spirit of Service Award for her contributions as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. Prior to Friends for Youth, Sarah worked for Venice Community Housing Corporation's YouthBuild program in Los Angeles, where she managed volunteers and developed leadership opportunities for young adults. In her spare time Sarah enjoys the arts, hiking, and traveling. Se habla español.

 

Kiki Canny

Senior Program and Volunteer Coordinator 

kiki@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2867

Kiki joined Friends for Youth in 2019 as our Youth Programs intern, and is now our Mentor Recruitment/Group Program Coordinator. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Psychology, minor in Japanese Studies. Kiki is a Bay Area native, is trained in suicide risk assessment, and has always been passionate about mental health and supporting her community. She loves working at Friends for Youth because she sees how much of a positive impact the volunteers and program have on youth. Kiki’s dream is to become a school counselor and help youth reach their fullest potential. Kiki loves video games (she’s a gaming champion!), watching anime, drinking LaCroix, and spending time with family and friends. 私は日本語が話せます。 

 

Danny Almanza

Program Coordinator

danny@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2876

Danny is the newest Friends for Youth team member and is very excited about joining us as Program Coordinator for the 1-to-1 mentoring program. Danny matches mentees with mentors, also providing support and guidance to them as well as to mentee families. Danny was born and raised in the Napa Valley, and his family is originally from Mexico. He is a first generation college graduate and has a B.A. in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport & Recreation Management from Saint Mary's College of California. After graduating, Danny saw the need to return and give back to his community; he served with AmeriCorps as a CalPREP Fellow and created a new mentoring program at a high school in Napa Valley. He has also worked for other non-profits as a youth mentor. Danny is excited about helping his new community and youth who are facing several risk factors. Danny has a huge passion for soccer, having played semi-professionally and coached at the high school varsity level. He hopes to bring his soccer playing and coaching skills to the Friends for Youth community. Se habla español.

 

Jasmine cardenas

Associate Program Coordinator

jasmine@friendsforyouth.org

Jasmine joined the Friends for Youth team in early 2018 as our 1-to-1 and Group Mentoring intern, and she is now the Associate Program Coordinator for the school-based group mentoring program. Jasmine is passionate about mentoring our school youth and making a difference in her own community. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and is currently completing a B.A. in Sociology at California State University, East Bay. In high school, Jasmine was a mentee through another non-profit organization on the peninsula and learned how life-changing mentoring can be. Her dream is to become a high school guidance counselor to continue making a difference with youth. Jasmine enjoys trying new foods, traveling, and playing with her puppy Mia! Se entiende bien el español y habla un poco.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

• 2017 Sobrato Family Foundation 20 Year Friendship Award

• 2016 Launched new school-based mentoring program at Sequoia High School, called ConnectSHS

• 2016 2,000th one-to-one mentoring match made

• 2016 Research with AIR/American Institutes for Research and Kettering Foundation shows Friends for Youth mentoring’s positive impact on families

• 2016 Achieved Platinum Level GuideStar Profile

• 2015 Trainer to MENTOR’s state mentoring partnerships

• 2014 New Pathways Initiative Cohort sponsored by David and Lucile Packard Foundation

• 2013 Past Board Chair honored as recipient of San Francisco Giants’ Isabel Lemon Service Award

• 2013 Represented State of California at MENTOR’s annual state caucus convening

• 2013 Friends for Youth is among the first nonprofits in CA to be certified as a “Service Enterprise”

• 2013 Kettering Foundation Community Educators events and research conversations

• 2012 Friends for Youth featured in Community Educators: A Resource for Educating and Developing our Youth by Dr. Patricia Moore Harbour

• 2011 Invited guest at National Mentoring Summit with First Lady Michelle Obama

• 2011 Friends for Youth cited by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and top researcher Dr. Jean Rhodes as the “gold standard” in the mentoring field at 12th annual Mentoring Conference

• 2010 CEO selected to serve on national Mentoring Children of Prisoners Support Center Advisory Board

• 2009 CEO was keynote speaker at Singapore National Youth Mentoring Conference

• 2009 SAFE cited in a national mentoring policy brief, Strengthening Mentoring Opportunities for At-Risk Youth, as a key initiative to promote program quality in the mentoring field

• 2008 CEO and past Board Chair participated in Kettering Institute Think Tank on educating youth outside of the school system

• 2008 Presents annually at “Mentoring Summer Institute” at Portland State University

• 2008 CEO serves on National Mentoring Work Group on Accreditation

• 2007 AMP (Association of Mentoring Professionals) Advisory Board: Chair, Screening and Safety

• 2006 CEO in CEN 3rd Nonprofit Leadership Institute Class (invitation only)

• 2006 Guest Lecturer at Stanford School of Education course “Urban Youth and Their Institutions”

• 2006 Presenter/trainer at Department of Education Mentoring Grantee Conference

• 2006 Selected for “Community All-Star Award” by San Francisco Giants and AT&T

• 2005 Cited by Dept. of Education for best practices in “Creating Mentoring Matches That Last”

• 2004 “Outstanding Volunteer Program” award from San Francisco Volunteer Center; nominated by Oracle Corporation

• 2004 CEO named one of four “California Mentoring Experts” by the Center for Applied Research Solutions

• 2003 National Daily Points of Light Award

• 2003 Cited as an exemplary program in a John W. Gardner Center report

• 2003 California Governor’s Mentoring Partnership Virtual Mentoring Conference Site Leader

• 2002 CEO and Mentoring Institute Director wrote a chapter in Mentoring Works

• 2002 Represented Mentoring Coalitions in a meeting with First Lady of California Sharon Davis

• 2001 State of California Spirit of Mentoring Award for Friends for Youth’s leadership of the Silicon Valley Mentoring Coalition

• 2001 Founding Member, San Mateo County Council of Nonprofits (now THRIVE)

• 2000 California Governor’s Mentoring Partnership Quality Assurance Standards Committee

• 2000 Co-Creator, 1st annual Northern California Mentoring Conference

• 1999 State of California Spirit of Mentoring Award for outstanding mentoring services

• 1999 Guest at White House Mentoring Ceremony hosted by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

• 1998 Selected as one of 16 agencies for a pilot “Organizational Capacity Grants Initiative” project sponsored by Peninsula Community Foundation, Sobrato Family

• Foundation, and Schwab Family Foundation

• 1996 Friends for Youth’s 1000th child was matched with a trained community mentor

• 1996 “At-Risk Youth” Steering Committee of Menlo Park Police Department

• 1995 San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Award for Excellence

• 1995 Established Youth Achievers program partnership with local schools

• 1994 J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award

• 1994 CEO inducted in San Mateo County Womens Hall of Fame

• 1993 President's Volunteer Action Award Citation (presented to 60 programs nationally out of 4,300 nominations)

• 1992 CEO received Unsung Hero Award from County Family and Child Abuse Advisory Committee

• 1991 J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award

• 1990 Award for Management Excellence, presented to 2 Bay Area non profits annually for outstanding program management

• 1989 Volunteer Center/Junior League Program Service Award

• 1989 J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award

• 1987 Wells Fargo Bank Volunteer Service Award

• 1987 J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award

• 1985 Volunteer Center's Outstanding Volunteer Program of the Year

• 1980 J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award

• 1980 National Juvenile Judges Award (as Partners, Inc. branch)

• 1980 National Activist Award (as Partners, Inc. branch)

Take Action Today

Volunteer

Donate

Careers