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Annual Walk4Friendship aims to raise money for children with special needs

Posted at 10:21 AM, Aug 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-27 12:31:19-04

WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI (WXYZ) — “When there’s a family that has a child with special needs it is 24/7 and that really tends to isolate many families," co-founder of the Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization helping to foster relationships between children with special needs and the community, Bassie Shemtov said.

Her organization has been able to help families like the Jacobs' who have now been a part of Friendship Circle for nine years.

“Specifically for Allie, it’s given her a second home. A place of comfort where she can be herself. A place where she can make friends easily. Acceptance is never an issue,” Josh Jacobs said.

Joshua said his family came across Friendship Circle by accident.

“I would see people in the summertime doing a walk, wearing purple," Jacobs said. "We had no idea who these people were but they all just had friendship written out for them.”

After some research, he found out this organization was for families like his—in search of resources and a like-minded community.

“And given that I have a daughter Allie who has special needs, we looked into it. We went to a walk and found out that this place is not only amazing but a second home for us," Jacobs said.

Every year, the friendship circle holds a Walk4Friendship fundraiser. It helps to raise money for the upcoming year’s programming, but its main goal is to bring the community and children with special needs together.

“A real mission of the friendship circle is to educate the community about the beauty and incredible potential that lives in each and every person,” Shemtov said.

This year their annual walk will be held on August 29.

It is free for anyone to participate in and will start at the Farber Soul Center at 5586 Drake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322.

“All of the money goes back into the community here locally and it allows the Friendship Circle to provide programming for thousands of families,” Jacobs said.

For more information on the Friendship Circle, how to donate, or participate in this Sunday’s walk, click here.