Thoughts from our CEO, Dr. Angie Payne…
A Personal Journey with Tampa Bay’s Most Committed Mentorship Program
Back in 2014, I was asked to join the founding board of Friends of the Children Tampa Bay. At the time, I did not fully understand what I was signing up for. A mentorship program? Sure, that sounds nice. Important work? Absolutely. But nothing prepared me for what it actually meant to watch this organization transform lives over the course of more than a decade.
Here is what Friends of the Children does differently: they commit to children from kindergarten through high school graduation. Not for a school year. Not for a summer program. Not “until funding runs out” or the volunteer “gets busy”. Twelve-plus years. No matter what.
That is not a tagline. That is a promise they keep.
The Christmas Party That Opened My Eyes
Every year since 2014, I have hosted a Christmas party at my home for Friends of the Children and the kids in the program. It is one of my favorite traditions, and honestly, one of the most meaningful things I do all year.
My own children have been part of this journey from the beginning. They were 16 and 11 when we started hosting that first Christmas party. Now they are 27 and 22. Watching these kids grow up alongside my own has given me a unique perspective on just how much a stable, supportive environment matters.
I will never forget one of those early parties. The kids were running around, excited about decorations and presents and cookies. As one little boy was leaving with his Friend, he stopped, looked me straight in the eyes, and asked, “Does it snow here?”
That question hit me harder than I expected.
He was not asking about the weather. He was asking because my neighborhood looked so different from where he lived. The houses, the yards, the quiet streets, the Christmas lights everywhere. It was a world he had only seen in movies. That is how wide the gap is in Tampa Bay between the neighborhoods where these kids grow up and the opportunities most of us take for granted.
That moment stuck with me. It reminded me why Friends of the Children exists in the first place.
What Makes Friends of the Children Different
Most mentorship programs are built on good intentions and volunteer hours. Friends of the Children flipped that model completely.
Their mentors, called Friends, are not volunteers juggling this alongside a full-time job. Being a Friend is their full-time job. These are paid, professional mentors who are trained, supported, and accountable. Each Friend works with eight to ten children, spending a minimum of 14 to 16 intentional hours every month with each child.
That consistency matters more than you might think. These kids have faced more instability by age five than most of us will experience in a lifetime. Foster care placements. Housing insecurity. Family trauma. Schools that change every year. Adults who come and go.
Friends of the Children shows up. Every week. Every month. Every year. No matter what.
Who These Kids Are
Friends of the Children does not serve every child. They focus exclusively on kids who are facing the greatest obstacles, children who have experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences by the time they reach kindergarten.
We are talking about kids in the foster care system, children living in poverty, youth dealing with trauma that would break most adults. These are the kids who fall through the cracks in other programs because their needs are too complex, their situations too unstable, or their families too hard to reach.
Friends of the Children focuses on those kids specifically. They partner with schools, foster care systems, and community organizations across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties to identify children ages four to six who could most benefit from having a dedicated Friend in their corner.
And then they commit. For 12-plus years.
Watching Them Grow Up
This is where it gets personal for me.
When Friends of the Children Tampa Bay started in 2014, those first kids were only five years old. Kindergarteners. Little kids with big eyes and bigger obstacles.
Last year, four of those kids graduated early from high school. Four young people who had been with the program since kindergarten succeeded so well that they finished ahead of schedule. Next year, in 2026, ten additional youth from that original kindergarten class will walk across the stage. The following year, in 2027, 25 more will graduate. These are the first cohorts to complete the entire 12-plus year journey with Friends of the Children Tampa Bay, from kindergarten through graduation.
They are talking about college. They are making plans for their futures. They are dreaming about careers and opportunities that once seemed impossible.
I have watched them grow up alongside my own children. Year after year at that Christmas party, I have seen them get taller, more confident, more hopeful. I have watched shy five-year-olds turn into articulate teenagers who can talk about their goals and what they want out of life. My kids have watched it too. They have seen firsthand what it means when a community invests in children who need support the most.
That does not happen by accident. That happens because someone showed up for them, week after week, year after year, no matter what.
The Friends Who Make It Happen
The seven Friends currently working for Friends of the Children Tampa Bay are doing something extraordinary. They are not just mentors. They are advocates, cheerleaders, problem-solvers, and consistent adults in the lives of kids who desperately need one.
Friends show up at school to work with teachers and advocate for individualized academic plans. They help kids identify coping skills and regulate emotions when life gets overwhelming. They create connections to resources in the community. They explore interests and share new experiences, taking kids to museums, libraries, art classes, and places they would never go otherwise.
When a child moves from one foster placement to another, their Friend stays with them. When a family faces eviction or a parent goes to jail or a sibling gets sick, their Friend is there. When a teenager is trying to figure out college applications or job interviews or just how to navigate high school, their Friend walks them through it.
This is not a once-a-week feel-good activity. This is deep, intentional, life-changing work.
The Results Speak for Themselves
Friends of the Children has the data to back up what they do. These are not just heartwarming stories. These are measurable outcomes.
Here in Tampa Bay, 100% of youth in the program receive their high school diploma or GED. That is right, every single child. Nationally, Friends of the Children achieves an 83% graduation rate, which is already remarkable compared to much lower rates for foster youth and kids facing similar obstacles. But Tampa Bay has set the bar even higher.
92% percent go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve in the military, or enter the workforce. They are not falling off the map after high school. They are moving forward with their lives.
95% of Tampa Bay youth remain free from involvement in the juvenile justice system, compared to 93% nationally. These are kids who statistically should have ended up in the system. They did not.
98% wait to have children until after their teen years, matching the national Friends of the Children success rate. That might not sound like a big deal, but for youth who have experienced the kind of trauma these kids face, breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy is huge.
And here is the economic reality: for every dollar invested in Friends of the Children, the community benefits over seven dollars in saved social costs. Helping one child saves the community $900,000 in costs related to incarceration, social services, healthcare, and lost productivity.
This is not charity. This is an investment in Tampa Bay’s future.
Why Tampa Bay Needs This
If you live in Tampa Bay, you know the reality. We have beautiful beaches, growing businesses, and neighborhoods where opportunity flows freely. We also have neighborhoods where kids go to bed hungry, where violence is a daily reality, and where the school-to-prison pipeline is not just a phrase but a lived experience.
The gap is real. The inequality is real. And without intervention, those gaps only get wider.
Friends of the Children is not trying to fix everything. They are focusing on one thing: giving kids a consistent, caring adult who will not give up on them. That single protective factor, according to decades of research, is the most important thing a child facing adversity can have.
It works because it is simple and it is relentless.
A Decade of Growth
Friends of the Children Tampa Bay started in 2014 as a program within a partner organization. In 2018, they became a stand-alone chapter, which allowed them to expand and operate independently.
That growth has been intentional and careful. They did not rush to serve as many kids as possible. They focused on doing it right. Hiring the right Friends. Training them well. Supporting them with resources and professional development. Measuring outcomes. Adjusting the model. Staying true to the 12-plus year commitment.
We are now witnessing an incredible milestone unfold. The original kindergarten class from 2014 is reaching graduation. Four graduated early in 2024, ten more will graduate in 2026, and the remaining 25 will follow in 2027. This first wave of graduates represents everything Friends of the Children stands for. When you commit to a child for 12-plus years, no matter what, transformation happens.
How You Can Be Part of It
Friends of the Children Tampa Bay is part of a national network of chapters across the United States. The model was established in 1993 by entrepreneur Duncan Campbell in Portland, Oregon, after extensive research to determine the most effective way to help young children overcome adversity.
The research was clear: the strongest protective factor a child can have is a long-term, nurturing relationship with a consistent and caring adult. Everything Friends of the Children does is built on that foundation.
If you want to be part of this work, there are ways to get involved. You can donate to support the Friends who are doing this work full-time. You can volunteer at events. You can spread the word about the organization. You can show up and let these kids know that their community sees them and values them.
For me, hosting that Christmas party every year is a privilege. My children have grown up seeing what it means to give back and to invest in our community. I get to watch these kids grow. I get to see the impact of this program up close. I get to be reminded every December that consistency, commitment, and love can change everything.
12+ Years, No Matter What
That phrase, “12+ years, no matter what,” is not just a program description. It is a philosophy. It is a commitment to kids who have been let down by almost every system designed to help them.
– Dr. Angie Payne
It means showing up when it is hard. It means staying when everyone else leaves. It means believing in a child’s potential even when they cannot see it themselves yet.
I have been part of the founding board. I have hosted the parties. I have watched the kids grow from five-year-olds asking about snow to high school graduates dreaming about college, all while my own children grew from teenagers to young adults. And I can tell you without hesitation: this is one of the most important things happening in Tampa Bay.
If you want to learn more about Friends of the Children Tampa Bay, visit their website at friendstampabay.org. If you want to support their work, reach out. If you know a child who could benefit from having a Friend in their corner, make the connection.
This is how we change Tampa Bay, one child at a time, 12+ years, no matter what.
