Jorie Das has a personal reason for wanting to make a difference in the lives of children facing great difficulty. As a kid, she spent time in foster care, and a social worker had a profound impact on her life. As the executive director of Friends of the Children – Los Angeles since 2019, she has helped pair children with full-time, paid professional mentors — called Friends — from pre-kindergarten through high school graduation.
“A social worker saw things in me that I probably couldn’t see in myself yet,” said Das. “And having an adult like that in my corner shaped me. I know what a difference it makes when there’s an adult who isn’t just managing a case but actually knows you and believes in you and keeps showing up — and that’s ultimately what drew me to Friends of the Children – Los Angeles.”
Das built her career in child welfare working as a foster care advocate before landing at the nation’s first and only long-term, professional mentoring program. . . .
Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.
