No one describes this work better than the caregivers living it.
Friends of the Children – Dallas pairs youth with a paid, professional mentor for 12+ years, no matter what. But a child does not grow up in isolation, and neither does a mentoring relationship. Our two-generation approach means we support caregivers alongside their children, because a family's stability and a child's growth are not separate projects.
Caregivers are the ones who make the schedule work, who know what a hard week looks like, who notice the small shifts before anyone else does. Family Ambassadors have chosen to take that knowledge public, speaking for this program in rooms where a staff member's word would not carry the same weight.
What Family Ambassadors do
Every ambassador shapes the role around their own schedule and comfort level. The work can include:
- Talking with families who are newly enrolled and answering the questions staff cannot answer from experience
- Representing the chapter at community events and neighborhood gatherings
- Speaking at donor and volunteer events when they want the microphone
- Connecting with prospective families who are weighing whether the program is right for their child
- Bringing feedback to our team about what families need and what could work better
Meet our Family Ambassadors
Tye tells caregivers who are new to the program to think in years, not weeks. Long-term support, she says, not a one-time resource. She'd know. Another family pointed her toward Friends of the Children – Dallas when she was looking for the kind of role models she wanted for her own child, and as a single mother she understands the math of balancing work, parenting, and everything else. Now she's the one other caregivers bring their honest questions to.
Ayanna found the chapter through Vogel Alcove, where her children went to school, and she knows every Friend on staff by name. When Friends of the Children – Dallas hired a new male mentor, her son was part of choosing him, a moment she says neither of them will forget. "They are not just here for your child," she tells other caregivers. "They are also here for you."