1979

UFC FOUNDED
United Friends of the Children was founded in 1979 by Nancy Daly Riordan to address the unmet needs of Los Angeles County’s foster youth. Today, UFC provides support services to more than 2,000 current and former foster youth each year, working to provide them with the opportunity to finish high school, find housing, attend college and build the skills to support themselves. Through its programs, UFC provides critical intervention in the lives of foster youth when no one else will.

1980

PROGRAMS AT MACLAREN CHILDREN’S CENTER BEGIN
MacLaren Children’s Center was the 24-hour emergency shelter for abused and neglected children in Los Angeles County. Until its closing in 2003, UFC provided support for the youth at Mac including: Friends Day; Cottage Mother Program; Celebrity Day; monthly barbeques; cottage and nursery restoration; wall murals; a beauty salon and store; and a library funded by the Milken Family Foundation.

1983

FOSTER FAMILY PROGRAM BEGINS
UFC plays a crucial role in assisting a number of Los Angeles-based foster families with financial support for tutoring, educational resources and counseling. UFC also organizes cultural events, birthday and holiday celebrations and a fall retreat.

1984

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES FORMS AT URGING OF UFC
DCFS is formed by combining three county departments— Public Social Services, Adoptions and Probation—into a separate agency focusing soley on the needs and protection of children.

1988

NANCY DALY RIORDAN APPOINTED TO NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CHILDREN
UFC has been instrumental in affecting change in the Los Angeles County foster care system, from advocating for the creation of the Department of Children and Family Services to currently serving on the Emancipation Partnership and the County Commission for Children and Families in Los Angeles.

1990

FIRST COLLEGE SPONSORSHIP AWARDS
Each year UFC awards 25 college sponsorships with a combined value of $375,000 per year for up to five years. UFC has helped to offset the financial burden of college for hundreds of former foster youth attending colleges and universities around the country.

FIRST ANNUAL CELEBRATION 1 GRADUATION CEREMONY
UFC co-sponsors a graduation ceremony with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Probation, The Teague Family Foundation, Casey Family Programs and The Community College Foundation each year. The event honors the academic achievements of foster youth who graduate from high school with a 2.8 grade point average or higher and with plans to attend a college, university, trade or vocational school.

UFC BEGINS FOCUSING ON EMANCIPATION ISSUES
Each year more than 1,500 foster youth age out of the Los Angeles foster care system unprepared for self-sufficiency. Emancipated youth face independence alone, without the benefit of enduring early relationships, role modeling, or the support (financial as well as emotional) of family and community members. It’s hard to imagine that there was ever a day when services were not available to emancipated foster youth, but it was 1999 before the Foster Care Independence Act was passed, legislating federal financial support for former foster youth.

> 1996 to Present