Friends of the Children New York is “changing the destiny of NYC’s most vulnerable children…one child at a time.” Our 12-year intervention program redefines the landscape of mentoring and what success means for the most vulnerable children in New York City. Our model is built on well-documented research indicating that the greatest preventative factor in the life of a vulnerable child is a consistent and committed adult role model. Each of our full-time youth advocates, we call Friends, has a case load of just 8 children, we call Achievers. The Friends spends 4 hours per week one-on-one with each of their Achievers serving as an encourager, advocate, role model and Friend exposing them to the world of opportunities NYC has to offer. At age five, the children selected into our program already have a multitude of barriers to success and face severe risk factors, such as caregivers who have experienced incarceration, domestic violence, drug abuse, teen parenting, or homelessness. For example, of the Achievers we currently serve; • 99% of the kindergartners we select are impoverished and qualify for free school lunches; • 73% live in a single-parent homes; • 58% are a child of a teen parent; • 45% have an incarcerated parent. With a foundation that begins in kindergarten and extends through high school graduation the investment we make creates a lasting impact not only for them, but for the future landscape of poverty in New York City. It Works! • 97% of the Achievers avoided teenage parenting while 74% have a mother who was a teenager when she first gave birth. • 95% teen-aged male Achievers have avoided involvement with the juvenile justice system while 41% have an incarcerated parent. • Last year, 78% of the high school seniors graduated on-time versus a graduation rate of 53% in the Bronx and 62% in Manhattan.