Friendship House

Young adults with special needs enjoy a monthly program aimed at facilitating socialization with peers and young adult volunteers. The goal of this program is to give young adults with special needs the opportunity to make friends and hang out outside of the home in a fun, safe, and relaxed environment. We have organized activities for everyone to participate in that will help build confidence, social skills, and life skills…all while building memories and fostering friendships that will last years!

Friendship House family programming provides families with different opportunities to join together with other families who also have children with special needs for fun, entertainment, and socialization for parents and children alike. Friendship House aims to provide whole family engagement and support through coming together to celebrate the Jewish holidays and specially designed events for their entire family to enjoy. Our holiday programming offers our families and children a chance to experience the Jewish holidays in an environment where they feel comfortable and welcomed.

Sports Circle is an after-school program that gives children with special needs a wonderful opportunity to engage in different sports and extracurricular activities. The sports are led by an experienced coach, with one-on-one volunteers available to assist each child with the soccer games and fun. It provides a reliable weekly program for parents while participants engage in learning new skills and values such as team building, fine-tuning gross motor skills, breath and relaxation techniques, and connecting and interacting with friends.

An extraordinary program that provides your child with the chance to bond with their volunteers in a setting in which they are most comfortable, their own homes. Volunteers work with their special friend and their families to establish a schedule that works for both. With so much to look forward to, these visits are cherished by both the children and volunteers.

Children and their volunteers spend an hour each week baking cookies, playing games, creating arts ‘n crafts, reading books or doing just about anything fun! Having his or her friends over to play – an activity taken for granted by most children – instills immense feelings of belonging and self-value in a child with special needs.

While children and volunteers develop meaningful relationships, parents receive valuable time to rest and recharge. With so much to look forward to at these visits, it is no wonder the families wait all week for their volunteers to show up at their doorsteps!