Friendship Circle

An inside perspective of special children, their families, volunteers, community members and Friendship Circle coordinators who bring them together.

Everyone wants to belong. To be loved and appreciated. But for parents of children with special needs, finding a safe haven of friendship and social activities can be daunting.

I am the mother of two autistic children. I love them both dearly, but as any parent of children with special needs will tell you, raising them is challenging and can often be full of disappointment, hurt and frustration...

Steven is an 8 year old boy with autism, but in Friendship Circle’s world, that just means he’s unique, like all of us, and that his special talents and abilities make him outstanding. I turn into the neighborhood, and pull up to the house...

I know opposites, my left and right, the alphabet, and simple addition. Sounds easy right? Wrong. For some people in this world these are hurdles they are unable to climb over.

They call her "special." But I call you, my dear volunteers, special. You are the ones who are extraordinary, unique, rare, different and so wonderful. You are the ones with special souls...

A walkathon in suburban New Jersey was one of many across the country that raised money for local Friendship Circles, which pair teenage volunteers with children with special needs.

Rabbi Levi and Bassie Shemtov, founders of the Friendship Circle, received the prestigious Manhattan Institute Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is hosting a basketball game for children with special needs. The school’s Chabad House helped out with the preparations.

A series of correspondence between the Rebbe and professionals treating people with special needs was published this week.