FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TRANSITIONAL YOUTH INVITES CHILD MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FAITHFUL FRIENDS TO JOIN THE FAMILY

Portland, Oregon — Nov 13, 2024 — Faithful Friends, a nonprofit dedicated to child mentorship, and Transitional Youth/Braking Cycles, an organization focused on helping young people overcome homelessness and poverty, are proud to announce their merger, creating a unified force for positive change in the lives of vulnerable youth in the Portland / Vancouver metro areas. Together, the organizations will build on their complementary strengths to provide even greater proactive resources, opportunities, and support to empower young people in need so that they develop the skills and opportunities to thrive.

Both Faithful Friends and Transitional Youth have a combined 40+ year history of providing life-changing programs designed to cultivate healthier, brighter futures for at-risk youth. The merger will allow the combined organization operating under the umbrella of Transitional Youth to expand its reach and deepen its impact. Faithful Friends will maintain its well known name and simply come under the umbrella of Transitional Youth.

"We are incredibly excited about the possibilities this merger brings!" said Al Nodarse, Executive Director of Faithful Friends. "When you’ve got two great and effective non-profits like ours joining forces, it isn’t just one plus one equals two. It’s actually three! We’ll be able to do so much more for young people by working together, something we’ve already been doing on a smaller scale as partnering orgs in years past. And just the fact that we bring that age group of 6-10 year olds when we start our matches means that together we can wrap our arms around ALL youth, from babies to young adults, and the whole thing just feels like a God thing."

Rhona Mahl, Executive Director of Transitional Youth, echoed these sentiments, saying,

“Joining efforts to serve vulnerable and at-risk young people in our community makes perfect sense to me! I believe a partnership like this will only make each organization stronger, as well as serve our youth and community better. By bringing Faithful Friends under our umbrella, I believe our combined efforts will have a greater impact on prevention of cycles of harm, poverty, abuse and homelessness. We are honored to link arms with Faithful Friends in these life-changing efforts.”

The merger combines Faithful Friends' expertise in providing mentorship by tapping into volunteers from local churches with Transitional Youth's expertise in working with teens and young adults caught in cycles of harm, and bringing opportunities for hope and new healthy trajectories. The combined organization will offer a wide range of services, including:

• Long Term Housing and Support: Four unique homes for youth aging out of foster care, youth experiencing homelessness or other unstable living environments. This includes one home for young mamas and babies. 

• Mentorship & Life Skills Programs: Providing guidance, emotional support, and practical skills to help youth build self-confidence, healthy self-sufficiency, and a strong foundation for success.

• Education & Career Development: Offering tutoring, educational assistance, paid apprenticeship and vocational training, job shadowing and placement assistance to help youth achieve their academic and career goals.

The merger also creates opportunities for stronger community partnerships, greater advocacy, and an expanded capacity for fundraising and outreach as they share contacts among business leaders, faith communities, educational institutions, service providers and government agencies. With a unified vision and a commitment to collaboration, Faithful Friends and Transitional Youth are poised to make an even more significant impact in the lives of the young people they serve.

"We are united by a shared belief that every young person deserves the chance to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances," said Bert Waugh, Jr., Board Chairman for Transitional Youth. "This merger is a powerful step forward in our mission to provide young people with the support and opportunities they need to reach their full potential."

For more information about the merger and the expanded services available, please visit www.transitionalyouth.org or contact Rhona Mahl.

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About Faithful Friends  
Faithful Friends cultivates mentor relationships that inspire growth, resilience and hope with the goal of transforming generations through the power of friendship. The program partners with local churches to identify and train adult volunteers (singles, couples or families) and matches them to children who want a mentor and who live within a few miles of the mentor. www.faithfulfriendspdx.org

About Transitional Youth  
Transitional Youth is committed to helping at-risk youth by providing resources that lead to healthy self-sufficiency.  Through long-term housing in four unique homes, job training through paid apprenticeships at Braking Cycles Coffee and Bike Shop, lifeskills training, and mentorship, youth are able to break free from destructive cycles and begin to experience hope where new cycles of thriving can begin. www.transitionalyouth.org  

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Media Contact

Rhona Mahl  
Executive Director, Transitional Youth/Braking Cycles
503-505-2919  
rhona@transitionalyouth.org
www.transitionalyouth.org