June Updates from Friends of the Children - Boston

Celebrating the Class of 2026

We are so excited to be celebrating the high school graduation of the Friends of the Children - Boston Class of 2026!

For more than twelve years, these six Achievers have shown us what resilience, determination, and hope look like. They have navigated challenges, celebrated milestones, overcome obstacles, and worked toward their goals every step of the way. Earning a high school diploma is a major accomplishment, and we are honored to celebrate this milestone alongside them.

This fall, their paths branch out. Some are headed to four-year universities like the University of Massachusetts and Tufts. One is entering a trade program. Another is weighing offers from three different colleges. Wherever they land, they carry years of support with them.

Six of our Achievers will now join the growing network of Friends of the Children - Boston graduates this year, bringing our total to 81 program graduates. Each one represents a consistent relationship, steady support, and a community that believed in them long before this day.

To our graduates: we are proud of who you are and all you have accomplished, and it has been a privilege to walk alongside you. And to the caregivers, Friends (professional mentors), staff, donors, and partners who made it possible: thank you. Every hour of mentoring and every act of support helped build the foundation these graduates stand on today.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We cannot wait to see where you go next!

Exploring Climate and Sustainability with National Grid Foundation and Change is Simple

This spring, our Achievers spent two hands-on sessions with National Grid Foundation and Change is Simple, exploring how the world around them works. In the first, they dug into climate and energy: where it comes from, how it powers their communities, and how everyday choices help protect the planet. In the second, they turned to sustainability and the ways people and communities can build a more sustainable future.



Across both sessions, our Achievers asked questions, tested ideas, and connected what they learned to the world they live in. We are grateful to National Grid Foundation for funding the experience and to Change is Simple for bringing real expertise and energy to our community.

A Caregiver's New Business: Deliana Delights

At Friends of the Children - Boston, our two-generation approach means we invest in caregivers and Achievers alike. This month, for the first time, we are highlighting a caregiver's own business, and we are honored to support Deliana's goals the same way we support our Achievers' dreams.

For as long as she can remember, Deliana has loved to bake. As a child she spent hours watching cooking shows, fascinated that flour, sugar, and butter could bring people so much joy. "Baking was always my happy place," she says.

This year she turned that lifelong love into a business of her own: Deliana Delights.

Balancing parenting and a growing business is not easy, but Deliana points to her children as her motivation, and her goal is to keep growing Deliana Delights and build stability for her family. Supporting caregivers alongside Achievers is part of how we work, and we are cheering her on. 

You can follow along and place an order on Instagram at @deliana_delights

Help Us Close the Gap

When Boston youth enter our program in the first grade, we make a 12+ year promise to them to stand beside them, helping them navigate the disproportionate challenges they will face. This year, we have delivered 1:1 professional mentorship and holistic support to 173 Achievers every single day, and over 400 of their caregivers and siblings - thanks to you! 

Despite the things we have accomplished together, we know that the need for our services that exists within our Boston community continues to grow. We have identified 240 kindergartners who meet the criteria for our intensive, long-term professional mentoring. This means 240 youth who are already navigating trauma, instability, and systemic barriers that threaten to shape their futures at just 5 years old. 

Today, we can only say yes to 11 of them. 

With a gift today, you can help us triple the number of youth we can enroll this fall - hiring two to four new Professional mentors and committing to walk alongside 43 additional children for 12 years, kindergarten through high school, no matter what. 

The opportunity before us is simple and profound: ensure that adversity does not dictate the destiny of our youth who are just beginning their stories. Join us to write a new story today. 

Thank you for standing with our Achievers and their families. The Class of 2026 is proof of what twelve years of showing up together can build, and the Achievers waiting to begin their own stories are why we keep going.

Do you love these stories? Then help us spread the word about jobs available at Friends-Boston. You can find current openings here.