Friends of the Children Partners with Why Not You Foundation and House of LR&C to Celebrate Pride

Friends of the Children is proud to partner with the Why Not You Foundation and the House of LR&C to provide opportunities for all youth to feel celebrated! This June we have teamed up for a Pride campaign—an amazing opportunity to celebrate LGBTQ+ youth and Friends and our allies.

During the month of June, House of LR&C will feature youth from Friends of the Children chapters across the country, who will share what it means to them to be LGBTQ+ and/or an ally. In this digital campaign, youth will tell their own stories and discuss why belonging and community are important, through creative and personal photos and videos. These youth and their paid, professional mentors—called Friends—will also be wearing beautiful clothing donated from a limited edition Pride collection from Human Nation, the gender inclusive clothing brand of House of LR&C.

At Friends of the Children, we believe that every single child deserves love, respect, and care, and should feel celebrated. We embrace, support, protect and unconditionally love every child we serve, including youth who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or are gender non-conforming. Research shows that acceptance, affirmation and belonging create pathways to resilience and improved mental health – for all of us, and especially for young people who identify as LGBTQ+. We are thrilled that this Pride campaign will lift up youth voices and support youth to feel seen and accepted.

One of the campaign partners, House of LR&C, is a fashion house started by Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and GRAMMY award-winning artist Ciara. As always, 3% of House of LR&C's net revenue is given back through the Why Not You Foundation to help change the world, including to nonprofit organizations such as Friends of the Children. Human Nation developed their limited edition, gender inclusive Pride collection “to honor the origins of the Pride movement and celebrate the diversity and power of the LGBTQIA2S+ Community.”

We know how important it is for youth – especially youth who identify as LGBTQ+ - to be supported. Unfortunately, research shows that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk for suicide, bullying, mental health issues, violence, and social isolation, among other negative experiences. They are also more likely to experience foster care and homelessness. In fact, less than half of LGBTQ+ youth say they have an adult in their family they could turn to for help if they felt worried or sad.

Together, we are creating positive change for children. We know that LGBTQ+ youth who report the presence of trusted adults in their lives have higher levels of self-esteem and have the tools they need to fight adversity. That’s what we do at Friends of the Children: we provide full-time, salaried, professional mentors – trusted adults – to walk alongside children for 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation, no matter what.

Thank you to House of LR&C and Why Not You Foundation, and to all of you for putting children first and helping them feel support and belonging. Follow the campaign on social media (@thehouseoflrc and @WhyNotYouFdn) and use the hashtags #PutChildrenFirst #PowerOfBeingHuman