Friends of the Children – Portland Voted Oregon’s Most Admired Nonprofit for Nine Years Running

As the Friends of the Children national network marks its 30th anniversary of serving children, the founding chapter in Portland, Oregon has even more to celebrate. For the ninth year in a row, The Portland Business Journal has named Friends – Portland as the #1 most admired nonprofit in the State of Oregon! Since 2012, Friends – Portland has placed in the top three list of Oregon’s most admired nonprofits.

“With so many exceptional nonprofits that the Portland Business Journal has highlighted, we are deeply honored and humbled to receive this celebration of our 30 years of impact as Oregon’s Most Admired Nonprofit,” said Traci Rossi, Executive Director of Friends of the Children-Portland.

Friends of the Children – National is excited to share the news, and we are proud of our founding chapter. Friends – Portland began in 1993 with three paid, professional mentors serving 24 children, and the chapter now has 18 graduating class of young people who all received 12+ years of support from the chapter. Friends of the Children – National and Friends – Portland are currently partnering to launch the Duncan and Cindy Campbell National Center of Excellence for Professional Mentoring.

More than a building, the National Center for Excellence will establish Oregon as the destination for evidence-sharing and innovation in professional mentoring for researchers and practitioners nationally and world-wide. The building will also continue to serve youth enrolled in the Friends – Portland program, serving as a demonstration site in recognition of the chapter’s 30 years of excellence in program implementation. The National Center of Excellence will be located in a school building purchased by the founders Duncan and Cindy Campbell in the same northeast Portland neighborhood where Duncan grew up. The building will begin renovation and remodeling this year with expected completion in 2026.