<p>While our kids enjoy many amazing shared experiences with their Friend over the course of our 12.5 years commitment to them, few are sweeter than celebrating a birthday with program peers at your side.</p> <p>Recently, Anthony* celebrated his birthday surrounded by his “Friends LA Family”, which includes his Friend Max and many of the children and professional mentors belonging to our Antelope Valley site.</p> <p>Children and their Friends met at American Heroes Park after school for a celebratory outing in Anthony’s honor. The kids enjoyed a variety of field games at the park before finally settling down for a sweet treat of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes!</p> March 01, 2022 Surrounded by Friendship: Anthony's Birthday Friends LA promotes positive relationship building in our youth and their peers. Friends & children gather around Anthony to sing happy birthday! While Anthony didn’t exactly enjoy his friends’ attempts to swipe frosting on his nose, his professional mentor Max tells us that he laughed nonstop. Max went on to add that on the car ride home, “Anthony was just beaming. Like many kids, he wasn’t able to have a traditional party the past two years due to his mother being very cautious about COVID. I think he really needed this memory — a memory that evokes joy. A memory that he can look back fondly on as he and his peers grow up.” A distinct feature of our evidence-backed model is that we intervene early in life to ensure children facing the toughest challenges in Los Angeles County have more choices and more opportunities available to them as they enter adulthood. With future birthdays ahead to look forward to, we’re confident that Anthony will make many more joyful memories surrounded by his Friends!