Executive Director Welcome Letter

Welcome to the Friends Program Website.

Founded in 1975, 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 the implementation of mentoring programs for at-risk youth, emergency housing for homeless families and medically challenged individuals, an intergenerational program that creates meaningful opportunities for seniors to work with children, a volunteer service program that connects people of faith with elderly people in need of assistance to maintain their independent lifestyle, and a senior volunteer program that links the volunteer’s skills to otherwise unmet needs within the communities that we serve.

My name is Jerry Madden and I have been Executive Director of The Friends Program since March 2007. Prior to that time I was employed by the City of Concord, New Hampshire as a police officer. I had the privilege of working for the City of Concord for 27 years with the last 6 plus years as its Chief of Police. During my tenure with the Concord Police Department I witnessed first hand the variety of gaps that existed in our community. I was drawn to The Friends Program due to its long standing excellent reputation and the fact that it was an organization that strived to assist in positively impacting many of the gaps that currently exist. During the my first year with The Friends Program I have become even more aware of the needs of our youth who are in need of positive mentoring, the true epidemic that is homelessness and in particular the plight of families who are homeless, and the needs and benefits of having our seniors remain active and involved while utilizing their lifetime of skills and experiences. It is rare to be associated with an organization that serves such a diverse group of people. I am humbled by the opportunity I have been given and look forward to an enjoyable and beneficial future with this organization.

Each of our programs requires the financial assistance of grants and donations and we are most appreciative of those who have been such strong supporters of our organization. If you are interested in making a donation, you can do so within this site or obtain more information on becoming a donor by contacting our main office at 228-1193.

We also are primarily an organization that manages volunteers who in turn provide the services to our clients. The need for volunteers remains very high and we welcome any and all inquiries that you may have about becoming a volunteer. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 228-1193 if you have questions regarding volunteering or simply fill out the volunteer inquiry form located within this site.

Each of our five programs has their own section within this site and we encourage you to visit them all as well as taking a look at our upcoming events list. We hope that you will find our site improvements helpful and welcome feedback on what you see. You can forward your comments directly to me at jmadden@friendsprogram.org.

Jerry Madden
Executive Director