The circle is getting bigger.
Bay Area Friendship Circle, which began serving Jewish special-needs children in 2003, is growing in size and scope. Its programs now also cater to the parents of special-needs children, teen volunteers, their peers and their parents.
“People don’t realize there’s so much we do that’s beyond just the kids,” said Rabbi Ezzy Schusterman, director of the organization, which is based in Palo Alto. “It’s a place where there’s a Jewish feeling that everyone can belong.”
The agency will celebrate its growth and commitment to future programming with its first walkathon, tabbed Walk with Friendship Circle, May 23 at Palo Alto High School. Afterward, there will be a kosher barbecue, entertainment, crafts and family-friendly games.
Pledges and other fundraising efforts for the walkathon totaled $30,100 as of early this week. One of the people helping to raise money has been Larry Stein of Cupertino.
The father of a Friendship Circle volunteer, Stein also serves on the walkathon planning committee, but he hasn’t always been so involved. He started as a “chauffeur,” driving his 15-year-old daughter, Allison, a Friendship Circle volunteer, to meetings and programs.
“Allison brought home stories about her interactions with her ‘buddy,’ and pictures on her cell phone, and quite frankly, we got drawn in as parents because we felt like we had a personal connection even though we’d never spent time at the Friendship Circle,” Stein said.
“We also have three healthy kids and are very blessed, and we wanted the chance to help families whose needs are much greater than ours,” Stein added.
Recently, the Friendship Circle held a Passover-themed get-together so parents of teen volunteers and of special-needs children could schmooze. Specific programs also are offered for moms and dads of special-needs children.
While the focus continues to be on special-needs kids, the agency this year also launched a pilot program for mainstream children ages 8 to 11 with underdeveloped social skills. The first six-week session attracted 10 kids, and enrollment for the second session shot up to 20.
“We are giving them the opportunity to practice their social skills in a Jewish environment and have fun at same time,” Schusterman said.
About 100 special-needs children regularly attend Friendship Circle programs, and there are 150 teen volunteers. With so many volunteers, Friendship Circle has begun holding Shabbat dinners and holiday parties for them and their friends.
Volunteer Allison Stein has spent every Sunday for the past year working almost exclusively with Bryce, a 7-year-old boy who doesn’t talk much.
“When I first met Bryce, I was a little nervous,” said Allison, a sophomore at Kehillah Jewish High School. “But then I saw how happy he was just to be accepted, to be himself, and that is such an incredible experience.”
Schusterman and his wife, Nachama, started the Bay Area Friendship Circle seven years ago. In addition to the Palo Alto office, there’s an office in San Francisco and an East Bay chapter in the works. Nationally, there are 75 chapters of Friendship Circle, which is under the Chabad umbrella but is its own independent nonprofit.
“Our focus is on developing community,” Schusterman said. “We want to provide a place for special-needs children and their families in our Jewish community where they don’t have to sit on the sidelines.”
Friendship Circle walkathon, 12 p.m. May 23, Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. 1K and 3K. Advance registration is free; same-day registration is $12. Information: www.bayareafc.org