Friendship Circle is a charity for children and young people with special needs. The organization is run by the Chabad Hasidic movement. The organization pairs Jewish high school student volunteers with children with special needs. The first Friendship Circle center opened in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan; now there are many chapters across the United States and Canada.[1][2]
Activities
Friendship Circle organizes walkathons to raise funds for children with special needs.[3][1] Other initiatives include art auctions.[4][5]
A New Jersey chapter of Friendship Circle opened a "LifeTown" center in Livingston, a multi-faceted center where young people with special needs can learn life skills in a supportive environment.[6] The center includes therapy and health facilities as well as an aquatics center. LifeTown Shoppes have stores and businesses where young people can learn life skills with the help of volunteers and professional staff.[7][8] The center provides services to 30,000 young people each year. The center is modeled after a Michigan center.[9]
The Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh was established in 2006 to build a more inclusive community. [10] The Friendship Circle is a community-based program that brings together people of diverse abilities and interests. Members of The Friendship Circle participate in a diverse range of activities and experiences tailored to each age group. [11]
Some Friendship Circle chapters have turned to founding social enterprise programs employing young people with special needs, such as bakeries[12][13] and thrift shops.[14]
References
- ^ a b "Friendship Circle walkathon aims to raise big bucks for special-needs kids". J Weekly. 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Friendship Circle Directors Turn to Michigan Suburb Where it All Started". www.chabad.org.
- ^ Schmitt, Alyssa (7 September 2017). "Record-breaking crowd of 1,300 walk for Friendship Circle". Cleveland Jewish News.
- ^ "Artists With Special Needs Draw Crowd to Wisconsin Auction". www.chabad.org.
- ^ "Creating Art from Disability". The Media Line. 31 January 2017.
- ^ Dolsten, Josefin. "A Chabad couple in New Jersey builds an immersive village for kids with autism". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
- ^ "Friendship Circle declares milestone". New Jersey Jewish News - NJJN. Archived from the original on 2016-07-10. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
- ^ "'Life Village' will teach life and job skills".
- ^ "N.J. nonprofit slated to build $13M complex for special-needs youth in Livingston". Daily Record. 3 March 2013.
- ^ "The Friendship Circle Mission | Friendship Circle (FC) |". Friendship Circle (FC) |. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
- ^ "Programming | Friendship Circle (FC) |". Friendship Circle (FC) |. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
- ^ Fello, Julia (14 September 2017). "Milwaukee bakery employs people with special needs". TMJ4.
- ^ "Entrepreneurs have a head start with Jumpstart". J Wire. 13 February 2017.
- ^ "The Trendy Boutique That Employs People With Special Needs". www.chabad.org.