Friendship Circle is a charity for children and young people with

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

. The organization is run by the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

movement. The organization pairs Jewish high school student volunteers with children with special needs.

Activities

Friendship Circle organizes walkathons to raise funds for children with special needs. Other initiatives include art auctions. A

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

chapter of Friendship Circle opened a "LifeTown" center in

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

, a multi-faceted center where young people with special needs can learn life skills in a supportive environment. 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. The center provides services to 30,000 young people each year. The center is modeled after a Michigan center. Some Friendship Circle chapters have turned to founding social enterprise programs employing young people with special needs, such as bakeries and thrift shops.

References

Children's charities based in the United States Charities based in Michigan Organizations based in Detroit Chabad organizations {{Chabad-stub