Charity Of The Week: Friendship Circle
Welcome to our new blog section called “Charity Of The Week”. Here we will highlight a number of charities that truly do extraordinary things to better their community, raise awareness, and help those in need. For our first charity of the week, we take a closer look at Friendship Circle: a non-profit organization run by the Chabad Hasidic movement. Friendship Circle was founded in 1994 when Bassie Shemtov and her husband, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, noticed that members of the special need community, though often provided with specialty medical care and therapy, did not have access to meaningful and lasting friendships outside of their family circles. Bassie and her husband wanted to offer social inclusion of those with special needs while changing the mentality of the broader public at large. With that the Friendship Circle was born, a non-profit organization that provides individuals with special needs the friendship and inclusion they deserve.
In it’s earliest days, Friendship Circle was founded with just 8 volunteers who would meet 4 families in their Michigan homes every week. Since then, Friendship Circle has spread throughout the United States and beyond with over 80 locations worldwide, cultivating the friendships of thousands of special children and volunteers. The organization counts on the efforts of teenagers who meet up with special needs children in their free time for fun, activities, and friendship. One of their founding principles is that everyone person, regardless of any limitations imposed upon them, has a soul. Each person is special, unique, and worthy of boundless friendships. For nearly 30 years, Friendship Circle has been providing thousands of young children with the opportunity of friends and inclusion, regardless of background or faith.
Besides from having teens contribute their time with special needs children, Friendship Circle also hosts a number of fundraisers including walkathons, art auctions, camps, dinners, and a wide range of community events. A sector in New Jersey also provide a “LifeTown” center in Livingston where young people with special needs can learn life skills such as education, arts, job training, and more, from teenagers and healthcare professionals. The center provides services to 30,000 young people each year and was modelled after similar facilities in Michigan and Ohio, such as the Friendship House in Michigan which offers support to all individuals and families struggling with isolation, addiction, and other family-related crises through a welcoming Jewish recovery community.
Friendship Circle truly is an excellent, global, non-profit organization. They are always happy to receive your kind contributions so they can continue to thrive and support these kids. Fortunately, Charity Exchange already hosts two of their sectors on our platform including the Friendship Circle of Sharon MA and Friendship Circle Miami Beach North Dade. If you would like to donate to either of these charitable organizations then simply sign up to our platform!
