Friends of the Portsmouth Juvenile Court

“Everyone needs a friend.” 

That simple tenet from Portsmouth City Councilman Vernon L. Tillage is core to Friends of the Portsmouth Juvenile Court, which offers programs to support families and youth transitioning through the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. 

“We are that friend,” says Vernon, who has served on the board since 2017 and was president for four years through 2024. “Families can lean on us in their time of need. That’s what our mission is about. We’re known as Friends of Portsmouth Juvenile Court, but lately we’re just known as Friends.”

The nonprofit that dates to 1994 helps children and their families navigate what almost always is an unfamiliar juvenile court system. “We want to help get families back on track,” Vernon says. “We understand that when kids are in trouble, it puts a burden on their families.”

Sometimes that support means providing rides for family members to visit their children housed in detention facilities. Almost always, minors need advocates to speak up for them and help them understand the complex, bureaucratic process that follows after a criminal offense has been committed. Friends’ program Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) screens, trains, and supervises volunteers to be the voice that advocates in the best interest of children, many of whom have been abused and neglected. Most wind up in foster care. 

“CASA is a program I strongly encourage people to get involved with,” Vernon says. “When kids go to court or meet with attorneys, these individuals will be there to advocate for them and that family.”

Vernon L. Tillage, Portsmouth City Councilman, serves on the board of Friends of the Portsmouth Juvenile Court.

Often, children are trapped in a generational cycle of problems. They need an outside advocate, whether it be for a lighter sentence, community service hours in place of incarceration, or a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen.  

Minerva Delva and Betty Meadows were sworn in as CASA volunteers by Chief Judge Diane Griffin of the Portsmouth Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Court Appointed Special Advocates are making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children.

Friends abides by values that prioritize: 

• Integrity: Openness, transparency, and accountability are reflected in its culture and behaviors 
• Transformation: Recognizing every Portsmouth youth and family have unrealized potential 
• Advocacy: Championing the wellbeing of the city’s vulnerable children and families to build safe, stable, and nurturing homes 
• Relationships: Sustaining and building partnerships for continued success. 

TowneBank has been a longtime, active community partner to Friends, which works primarily with Kelly McCann, vice president and branch manager. “TowneBank has provided us with many different levels of assistance,” Vernon says. “They are good financial partners and have been sponsors over the years. Because of their support, we’ve been able to assist our families who need transportation to see their children.” 

TowneBank has also helped support Friends’ community service program by supplying gift cards that incentivize youth to complete all of their hours. “That really excites the kids and has been great,” says Vernon, who has a heart for service. Part of the inaugural class for Old Dominion University Alumni Association’s Top 40 Under 40 award, Vernon became the youngest person elected to City Council in 2022 at age 28. 

Vernon was introduced to Friends as a young teen. His mother drove a school bus and was approached by the executive director about transporting parents to see their children, often located in facilities in other parts of the state. “I would listen to her talk about the families,” says Vernon, a Churchland High School graduate. “She has a huge passion for helping others, especially people who are usually counted out.” In later years, one of Vernon’s friends got caught up in the juvenile justice system, which compelled him to give back and make a difference. 

Friends is always seeking community support, from additional volunteers to become advocates, to professional clothing donations to prepare young men and women for job interviews, to monetary support. Friends helps 200 families annually, and 90 cents from every dollar donated goes directly to the mission. 

For more information, visit FOPJC.org.