AMERICAN FALLS — The most decorated Olympic gymnast in history Simone Biles has endorsed the local non-profit organization, Friends of the Children, which is dedicated to ending the cycle of generational poverty and empowering youth.
According to a news release from the Idaho chapter of Friends of the Children, the organization pairs children living in difficult circumstances with long-term paid professional mentors. These circumstances can include living in foster care, housing insecurity or family mental health challenges.
These mentors are called friends. Their role is to work with these youth and their families from kindergarten through high school.
Studies of the program show that 92 percent of youth go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve in the military, or enter the workforce, the news release said. Additionally, 83 percent of youth earn a high school diploma or GED, 93 percent remain free from the juvenile justice system and 98 percent of youth wait to parent until after their teen years.
Many children in the program are able to attend college, serve in the military and enter the workforce when they grow up. The program also helps these children complete high school and stay out of the juvenile justice system.
The news release said Biles has been working with the organization since 2020 when she hosted a gymnastics workshop over Zoom with children from across the country.
Biles said in the news release that she was a foster child when she was younger, and she knows how it feels to have no one to guide you through life.
“Those young people will always have a piece of my heart, which is why Friends of the Children is so dear to me,” she said in the news release.
The Idaho Chapter held an open house on Aug. 15 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Gina Judd, executive director of the Idaho Chapter, said in the news release that she held the event for everyone to see the benefits of their mentoring program.
Judd said there was a stuffed turtle at the open house that Biles signed for the chapter.
“The turtle is a symbol of the message Simone’s mother gave her as a child to ‘go at your own pace,’ and ‘one step at a time,’ and something we use to encourage the children we are working with to move ahead with confidence and patience in themselves,” Judd said in the release.
Since April of this year, Friends of the Children in East Idaho has enrolled a group of 4- to 6-year-old children. Judd said in the news release that the program is already having a positive impact on these children.
“Already, caregivers are noticing positive changes in behaviors and attitudes of the children we serve, and we have been able to provide needed support to caregivers and bring increased comfort and stability to their households,” Judd said in the release. “We are excited to increase public awareness and support of this work and to develop partnerships which will enable us to open more locations across Eastern Idaho.”
The open house provided the community an opportunity to learn more about Friends of the Children. They were able to meet the mentors and learn how they can get involved.
There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony along with refreshments and tours of the clubhouse. There were be interactive stations that showed how mentors will use activities to provide children with character-building traits.
The open house was be held at the Friends of the Children Clubhouse at 656 Tyhee Avenue in American Falls.
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