Cedarhurst Friendship Circle cheers its volunteers

The Friendship Circle, a local organization that pairs members of the Five Towns community with children with special needs, held an event at the Jean Fischman Chabad Center to honor and award volunteers on May 28.

Rob Kurtz served as the master of ceremonies and Rabbis Matisyahu Friedman and Schneur Wolowik, along with 9-year-old Shoshana Simon spoke about the program.

Sarah Eckstein, a high school sophomore and Friendship Circle volunteer, expressed her gratitude for the program:

“If it weren’t for the most phenomenal organization the Friendship Circle, I wouldn’t be standing here tonight or worse yet, Effy, my dearest little friend, would never have been a part of my life. I can tell you this much, my life has never been the same since I’ve met him.”

Benjamin Weinstock, deputy mayor of the Village of Cedarhurst, presented volunteers with awards and towels embroidered with the organization’s logo. Graduating volunteers received an armband phone case.

Woodmere resident Chava Willig Levy, a writer, editor and lecturer who zips around in a motorized wheelchair, shared her personal journey of shattering stereotypes about people with disabilities. Her main goal: to enable people to view disability with pride rather than prejudice.

To learn more about the Friendship Circle, visit www.fc5towns.com.