Home / Archive / Capital Region Cares: Club Friend
Friday, May 18, 2012
Special Report: December 2008
Club Friend
An after-school program keeps girls focused on the future
Story by Bill Romanelli
Michelle Schmidt never thought she’d live to see 17. Her parents divorced when she was in third grade. Three years later, her mother announced she didn’t want to be part of Michelle’s life any longer and simply left. Schmidt and her father then lived homeless and out of hotel rooms. Her situation seemed hopeless until her aunt intervened.
“By that time, I was severely depressed and failing all my classes. I didn’t care about anything,” Schmidt says. “I didn’t have the desire to live. I didn’t think anyone would care about me.”
Today Michelle is 24, a graduate of California Baptist University in Riverside and working for Boeing Co. She’s also attending graduate school at Chapman University in Southern California as a prelude to law school or doctoral studies. She credits all this to her aunt’s involvement and a special organization called the Friendship Club.
“They showed that they cared for me, that they were there to support me and wanted to work with me to help me get my life in order,” Schmidt says. “That just changed my world, and I realized the kind of person I wanted to be.”
The Friendship Club began in Nevada County in 1995 with a mission to provide mentoring and educational support for disadvantaged adolescent girls. The organization operates with a $500,000 budget, which could increase by up to $100,000 next year.
Eighty-five percent of the club’s funding comes from individual donors, says Executive Director Jennifer Singer, and grants make up the remainder. Primary donors include Catholic Healthcare West, the Teichert Foundation and the William & Marian Ghidotti Foundation.
“There was a feeling of ‘girl crisis’ in our county. Girls were matching boys in drug addiction, alcohol abuse and juvenile crime, and teen pregnancies were way up,” Singer says. “Our concern was these girls weren’t getting the support they needed at home. Many come from homes where drugs and alcohol are playing a role in creating a chaotic and unhealthy environment.”
One day a week the girls go to the club for homework, tutoring, dinner and encouragement from the club’s volunteers. The club employs just nine staff members but boasts a list of nearly 120 active volunteers. Such physical support allows for monthly field trips, parties and other events for the girls.
The goal is to have the girls stay involved through high school graduation. So far, almost two dozen girls have graduated with the Friendship Club and gone on to lead productive lives. Schmidt has big dreams, and she’s passionate about making time for other disadvantaged girls.
“Girls like me who went to the club are examples of how time and effort really work and save lives,” Schmidt says. “We are strong women in our communities, and we’re only who we are because of the work the Friendship Club does and the love they show us.”
