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Spotlight On

Family Friends

Making A Difference One Family At A Time

Established in 1996, Family Friends is a project of the Oconee County United Way and Oconee County DSS, which provides training and support to a network of volunteer mentors who assist local families with young children in a one-on-one relationship. The goal of the program is self-sufficiency for the families as well as to improve the well being of children in Oconee County and help them to become self-supporting adults, dependable family members and responsible citizens.

Family Friends was created in response to the overwhelming number of abuse and neglect cases in Oconee County. This project is funded by federal grants through DSS and donations from local industry, businesses, churches and individuals.

Through a family profile, the Family Friends program matches families with a volunteer who is called a family mentor. The family mentor conducts a home visit, and they identify the needs of the family and create a plan to address those needs.

The mentors provide guidance, encouragement and support. They help the families access needed resources in the following areas: parenting skills, adequate housing, continuing education, nutrition, medical care, transportation, money management, utility assistance, rent assistance, tutoring and job ideas and opportunities. A mentor makes a commitment to changing welfare dependency and poverty into opportunity, success and self-sufficiency.

Family Friends plans, organizes and facilitates special events for its participants such as a Christmas party, Valentine’s Festival, Easter Egg Hunt, End of School Year party, Back to School event and Fall/Halloween Festival.

Family Friends generally works with 30 families at a time, which yields about 100 children. There are no time restraints on how long a family can stay in the program. The family will continue with the program until the family is self-sufficient. Once the family leaves the program, Family Friends will continue to track them.

Referrals to the program generally come from DSS, DHEC, schools and other service organizations. For more information, please contact Sandra Pruitt, Program Director, at 864.882.3130.