Friends of the Children Founder Duncan Campbell Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations to Friends of the Children founder Duncan Campbell! Duncan was recently honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Mentoring Summit’s Excellence in Mentoring ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes Duncan’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to mentoring that has transformed the lives of youth and families across the country, including right here in Eastern Idaho.

As a child in north Portland, Oregon, Duncan faced real challenges himself. His parents struggled with alcohol abuse and his father was incarcerated twice. Duncan’s behavior sometimes reflected his challenging home life, and he was himself expelled twice for fighting. In high school, he found consistent support and encouragement from two important adults in his life: his high school football coach and a guidance counselor, who told him, “you can be more than what most people think you can be.” [Watch Duncan share his own story in a Tedx Talk.]

After putting himself through college, then law school, Duncan started a timber investment firm which ultimately became vastly successful. At the same time, Duncan served as a volunteer child advocate on the county juvenile services commission, witnessing the struggles of youth who faced similar challenges to the ones he had endured. Duncan was determined to take his experience, combine it with research and the expertise of child psychologists, and build a program that would show just how resilient children can be when they are supported, breaking cycles of generational poverty through the power of relationships. His recent Lifetime Achievement Award is a powerful recognition of his work doing just that.

“More than 30 years ago, I focused on the idea that just one long-term relationship can change a child’s life for the better,” said Campbell at the recent award ceremony. “I’m so humbled and honored that Friends of the Children has grown from one chapter with 24 children being served by three professional mentors in Portland, OR, in 1993 to more than 40 sites across the country serving thousands of youth in urban, suburban, rural, and Indigenous communities.”

Duncan’s legacy as a trailblazer in long-term mentoring is a true inspiration. The long-term outcomes of youth across our national network are a testament to the impact his vision has had and will continue to have. Of youth enrolled with Friends of the Children for 12+ years, 92% go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country, or enter the workforce. 93% remain free from juvenile justice system involvement, and 98% wait to parent until after their teen years.

Thank you, Duncan, for your vision and leadership – and congratulations on this richly-deserved honor!