Simone Biles Shares Spotlight with Friends of the Children to Celebrate National Mentoring Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND, ORE. — World Champion gymnast and youth advocate Simone Biles is turning the spotlight on her title of ‘most decorated gymnast of all time’ to another title equally close to her heart: a champion for children. As the national ambassador for the nonprofit organization Friends of the Children, Biles has used her platform to shine a light on the transformative impact of the long-term professional mentoring model.

Biles, who Sports Illustrated recently recognized as the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year, has credited much of her success to the support she received from caring adults—her parents, coaches and mentors—both as a young child in foster care and as an adult competing on the biggest stages in gymnastics.

Biles uses every opportunity to share how she could have benefitted from support provided by Friends of the Children and why the model is widely regarded as the gold standard in youth mentoring programs. The program’s innovative model has tremendously impacted youth across the country, including in Biles’ hometown of Houston. In 2023, she played a pivotal role in establishing a Friends of the Children chapter.

“One of the reasons I’m so excited to be named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated is that it recognizes not only my athletic accomplishments but also the great work of Friends of the Children and the impact we can have on the next generation of youth,” said Biles. “I appreciate all the medals I have won over the course of my career. More importantly, the opportunity to inspire youth and encourage them that no matter their circumstances in life, they too can pursue their dreams is better than any medal. I see myself in these children, having experienced foster care in my youth, and my hope is that all children can have a caring adult mentor in their lives for the long term.”

As part of National Mentoring Month, which occurs every January, advertising company Billups and more than 20 media companies are donating advertising space featuring Friends of the Children through a partnership that began in 2020. More than 5,000 billboards will be displayed in more than 40 cities across the country during January.

“Mentoring changes lives, and there’s no better advocate for professional youth mentoring than Simone Biles,” said Terri Sorensen, CEO of Friends of the Children. “Her authentic care and compassion for the youth we serve has helped us raise awareness and expand to new cities across the country.”

Friends of the Children has grown from five to 42 locations in the past 10 years, emerging as a promising solution to preventing child welfare and juvenile justice system involvement while improving academic and life outcomes. This growth spans rural, Indigenous, suburban, and urban communities across 22 states, including partnerships with Sovereign Tribal Nations: the Oglala Lakota Nation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and the Klamath Tribes.

The organization was founded in Portland, Ore. by entrepreneur and timber executive Duncan Campbell, who will be honored by MENTOR with a Lifetime Achievement Award on January 30, 2025, at the National Mentoring Summit in Washington, D.C. Friends of the Children recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and recognized Biles as a “Champion for Children” at their annual gala in Los Angeles.

Biles’ collective efforts and support have helped amplify Friends of the Children’s mission through various initiatives, including a special GK Elite leotard and stuffed turtle sporting the Friends of the Children’s logo, to being featured on her second Wheaties box. In addition to Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year recognition, Biles’s ongoing work to support Friends of the Children has been highlighted by CNN Heroes, People, and The New York Times, as well as an op-ed in USA Today.

This summer, Biles invited youth from Friends of the Children’s Houston chapter to her gym in Houston to participate in a special watch party, underscoring her deep connection with the program’s mission. Biles also invited youth in chapters across the country to her recent Athleta Presents Gold Over America Tour, featuring fellow national and international gymnasts who competed on the world stage this summer.

Biles joins other high-profile figures such as Basketball Legend Michael Jordan, Super Bowl Champion Quarterback Russell Wilson, GRAMMY Award-Winning Artist Ciara and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in championing Friends of the Children.

A third-party review of Friends of the Children’s model, now in its 30th year, showed that 92% of graduates go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country or enter the workforce, 83% of youth obtain a high school diploma or GED, 93% remain free from juvenile justice system involvement, and 98% wait to parent until after their teen years.

View a digital media kit with videos and photos of Biles with Friends of the Children here.

About Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit organization with the mission of impacting generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors—12+ years, no matter what. Our successful model is now in 42 locations across the country. Our work has been featured in The New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review , and CBS News. Visit friendsofthechildren.org to learn more, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram , and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Ariane Le Chevallier

ariane@lechevallierstrategies.com

971-201-1214