On a sunny, but blustery Sukkot day, residents of Crown Heights, N.Y., gathered for a first-ever walk-a-thon to benefit a local organization that pairs teenage volunteers with children with special needs. According to officials, the Friendship Circle event drew a greater-than-expected turnout of 250 people, including a slate of local politicians.
State Sen. Eric Adams hailed the dedication of parents of children with special needs, while Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz boomed from a platform: “Happy Sukkot!”
“You guys are amazing,” said Markowitz. “Friendship Circle is doing amazing work changing our perception” of children with special needs.”
Started five years ago, the Crown Heights Friendship Circle is part of an international network of programs founded in 1994 in a suburb of Detroit. With branches as far away as Australia, the Chabad-Lubavitch initiative has gained recognition for its approach to ensuring that children with special needs integrate into their school and home communities. By pairing its charges with teenage volunteers, the Friendship Circle also works to heighten communal awareness of children with special needs.
From its headquarters at the Jewish Children’s Museum, the Crown Heights chapter serves 95 children with special needs, as well as a team of volunteers drawn from the community.
“It is inestimable to know the effect the program is having,” said Shimon Goldman, one of the chapter’s founders, “not only on the children, but on the teens who are demonstrating a sense of care unheard of in previous generations.”
Levi Eckhaus, local director of the Friendship Circle, shared with the walk’s participants a recent conversation he had with a principal.
“Year ago, if someone saw a child with special needs, [society’s] standard reaction was to cross the street,” said the principal. “People simply did not know how to react to these children. Thank G‑d, things are now different.”
With balloons and live music, the walk kicked off precisely at noon. The steadily growing crowd walked down Crown Heights’ main thoroughfare, which had been blocked off by the New York Police Department. Stores emptied as people poured into the sidewalks to witness the procession that culminated in a large carnival and gymnastic show.
Feigey Schechter, a mother of a Friendship Circle child, related how the program had given her the opportunity to enjoy some down time.
“Until they began visiting my son Mendy, I had to spend all my time with him,” said Schechter. “Now, when the volunteers come and entertain my son for an hour, I get a chance to breathe.”
Volunteer Yehuda Reichman, 16, who was one of the first teenagers to get involved with Friendship Circle, said that the program lives up to its name.
“I was there when it started in Crown Heights,” he said. “Today, we have Shabbat parties, we have [get-togethers].” Between other volunteers and the children they help, he added, “I’ve made really good friends.”
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