About us

Building Relationships… Restoring Hope

The Friends Program is a non-profit, social service organization that strengthens communities by building relationships that empower people, encourage community service, and restore faith in the human spirit. A United Way agency, the organization strives to achieve this goal through mentoring programs for youth, case management and emergency shelter services for homeless families, an intergenerational program that creates meaningful opportunities for seniors to work with children, a volunteer program which matches the skills of older volunteers with opportunities to serve their communities, and a volunteer service program that connects people of faith with older adults, and persons living with disabilities, in need of assistance to maintain their independent lifestyles. The agency provides services to 4,000 people annually with the assistance of over 900 volunteers.

The Friends Program is currently a subsidiary of the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association (CRVNA). The Boards of TFP and CRVNA have recently agreed to disaffiliate by October 1, 2007 to give The Friends Program Board of Trustees the independence and autonomy it has desired.

The Friends Program has a long history of providing cost-effective, community based services that have been widely recognized by State agencies, community organizations, and most recently:

• Business NH Magazine’s 2006 “Business of the Year Award.”
• New Hampshire Business Review’s 2003 “Business Excellence Award,” for Outstanding Achievement in the Nonprofit Sector.
• Volunteer NH!’s 2003 “Volunteer Champion Award” in the small nonprofit category for our outstanding ability to successfully manage volunteers.
• The Corporate Fund’s 2003 “Walter J. Dunfey Award for Excellence in Management.”

The Friends Program is the overall administrative organization for five programs. These programs include, in order of their initial date of service, the following:

• The Junior Senior Friends Program
• The Friends Emergency Housing Program
• The Friends Foster Grandparent Program
• The Friends Interfaith Caregiver Program
• The Friends Retired Senior Volunteer Program

The Junior Senior Friends Programback to list
(established 1975)
The Junior Senior Friends Program is a mentoring program matching volunteers (Senior Friends) with youth (Junior Friends) in a one-to-one relationship. In the Community-Based Program, Senior Friends make a one-year commitment to spend three to five hours each week with their Junior Friend. In the various Site-Based Programs, typically a school or a community youth club, Senior Friends make at least a one-year commitment to spend one to three hours of time each week, at a particular site, with their Junior Friend. The primary goal of the mentoring relationship is to create opportunities for youth which will lead to enhanced self-esteem and improved behavior at home, in school, and in the community. Junior Friends are school age and are referred to the program by parents, school counselors, therapists, social workers, courts, or other human service providers. Each match is selectively made and works with a Program Coordinator who monitors the progress of the relationship and who coaches the Senior Friend. In both the Community-Based and Site-Based Programs, program staff maintain contact with the Senior Friend, the Junior Friend, the Junior Friend’s parents, and the referral source. Especially in the Site-Based Program, program staff work closely with a site or school liaison who typically is involved in the matching process and with on-going supervision and support.

The Junior Senior Friends Program has been recognized as an outstanding volunteer program in Merrimack County by both the Governor's Office on Volunteerism (1987) and the JC Penney Golden Rule Award (1995). It has also been awarded two prestigious federal mentoring grants from the United States Department of Justice and from the United States Department of Education that, according to the National Mentoring Center, have only gone to the most well-regarded programs in the country.

The Friends Emergency Housing Program back to list
(established 1980)
The Friends Emergency Housing Program provides intensive, community-based case management and short-term housing for homeless families, plus aftercare and outreach services for families at risk of future homelessness. The shelter program provides clients with the support, education and training to assist them in acquiring long-term skills and accessing resources to find and maintain permanent housing. Supports include financial literacy training, debt reconciliation, nutritional and credit education, resume development, employment assistance, family advocacy, parenting classes, academic and GED tutorial assistance, substance abuse referral and monitoring help with identifying appropriate available apartments or housing and assistance with accessing public aid. The aftercare and outreach services provide these same supports to families living in the community.

As lengths of stay have increased, primarily due to a lack of affordable housing in the community, the program has taken the lead in developing an intensive, comprehensive and highly successful case management component. TFP recently celebrated the expansion of the shelter to provide a home for up to 34 homeless family members. This represents a 50% increase in our shelter’s capacity. This project was made possible by the financial support of the City of Concord, the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and the Concord Rotary.

The Friends Foster Grandparent Program back to list
(affiliated 1986)
This intergenerational program serves both children and seniors by offering a tax-free stipend to moderate-income adults, aged 60 and older, for their service to children in schools, childcare centers, Head Start programs, and other youth-centered organizations. Foster Grandparent volunteers offer mentoring support and academic assistance to needy and at-risk children. They serve at least 15 hours per week, providing consistency, stability and high impact outcomes. In return, they receive a stipend that does not affect Social Security benefits or any Federal, State or local benefits they might receive. Foster Grandparents also receive on-going trainings, mileage reimbursements, a daily meal, vacation/sick time, and recognition of their accomplishments. Just as importantly, they establish meaningful relationships with children and school staffs and renewed connections with their communities.

The Friends Foster Grandparent Program’s approach to measuring impact and its ability to reach isolated clients have been used as models for the Maine/New Hampshire/Vermont Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Its innovations in successful volunteer recruitment have been presented at a National Points of Light/CNCS Conference and have been modeled by almost 100 other CNCS programs. The program was honored by being invited to serve on an exclusive committee that assisted in the creation of a volunteer program development training tool to be used by CNCS and other volunteer programs nationwide. Most recently, the program created a unique mentoring component focusing on children of incarcerated parents and children in foster care that was recognized and funded by CNCS as a Program of National Significance.

The Friends Interfaith Caregiver Programback to list
(established 1998)
The Interfaith Caregiver Program is designed to enhance the quality of life for older adults and persons living with disabilities by providing non-medical support services to assist them in their desire to live independently in their own homes and communities. These services include companionship, transportation to medical and service appointments and assistance with errands. The program provides a way for people to put their own faith into action. It receives assistance from an interfaith coalition that works cooperatively and in partnership with community health providers and human service agencies to compliment existing services, to prevent the unnecessary duplication of services, and to act as a focal point for collaboration among the faith communities.

The Friends Interfaith Caregiver Program has received funds for FY 2007 from two sources, including an award from Concord Hospital Community Service Fund and the Friends Finding Friends Fund-A-Need.

The Friends Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) back to list
(affiliated in 2006)
RSVP is a volunteer program, mobilizing individuals 55 years of age and older who become engaged in volunteer activities in their communities. These activities include mentoring and tutoring children, services to support independent living for older adults, transportation, disaster preparedness and helping community organizations operate more efficiently. In short, RSVP volunteers are able to put their unique talents to work for community organizations that are significant to them.

The Friends RSVP is one of seven RSVP programs statewide overseen by CNCS and serves Rockingham County with the potential to expand into Strafford and Belknap counties.

For more information about our programs or how you can become a volunteer, contact us directly at (603) 228-1193, email admin@friendsprogram.org or visit our website www.friendsprogram.org.