Garden Party Held in Beverly Hills

On Tuesday, May 15th, in the beautiful gardens of the Nissel family home in Beverly Hills, the Friendship Circle of Los Angeles celebrated their 549 volunteers at their annual Garden Party. The night culminated an incredible year at FCLA, with the ceremony highlighting our shared passion for inclusion.

Our guests enjoyed a wonderful evening with a delectable backyard barbecue dinner catered by Lieder’s. As a token of appreciation, volunteers received a great FCLA branded toiletry bag with the tagline “Friendship. It looks good on you.” Volunteers enjoyed a super fun money booth, winning FC swag and cash.

The program began with Executive Director,​​​​​​​​ Rabbi Michy Rav-Noy’s year in review highlighting the upcoming sensory room, the growth of FCLA and with a welcome to Warren Fong, from the Jewish Community Foundation for their partnership with FCLA. FCLA was awarded a Next Stage Grant for $250,000 over two years for a pilot capacity building program.

Chanie Lazaroff, the Mitzvah Volunteer Program (MVP) coordinator, recognized the 48 MVP graduates for dedicating their time to learning more about how to interact appropriately with children who have special needs. The 6th, 7th and 8th graders of MVP stood proudly, wearing their exclusive, personalized, MVP sweatshirts.

A new element was our stellar panel of five amazing volunteers: Noah Arnold, AJ Aroosi, Max Braunstein, Molly Litvak, and Ariella Rabbani. Adult volunteer, Janin Bouroumand, moderated this lively conversation as our volunteers spoke about the steps they’ve taken to be more inclusive in their lives and how the Friendship Circle has made an impact on their Jewish identities. We loved hearing about their experiences with their buddies, the highlights of their experiences with Friendship Circle, and what they’re up to today.

Keynote Speaker, Yossi Goodman, captivated the crowd with his speech, “Beat the Odds.” Participants were mesmerized by his story, ahaving no idea that the tale he told was about himself. His words made an engaging and profound impact on the entire crowd.

Our Family of Friendship Award was presented to Fedora and Morris Taxon. FCLA Board member Fedora spoke passionately about her family’s involvement and how much they have all gained from FCLA. She is a parent of two FCLA volunteers as well as a son who participates in Friendship Circle programs.

A record of 60 recipients for the Fellowship Award was given to volunteers who have dedicated an exceptional amount of hours to spend time with their special friends and further their knowledge in the field of special education. Each volunteer was called up and presented with a beautiful certificate and glass award for their tremendous commitment.

The Faces of Friendship video made an emotional ripple as it profiled a few of the special children and testified to how much every child can accomplish if given the chance. Ethan, Aviya, JoJo and Tan were all smiles as participants heard from them and their volunteers about how FCLA has impacted their lives.

Amid confetti and cheers, the seniors were gifted with a canvas duffle bag in appreciation for their years of dedication. Miriam Rav-Noy, Program Director, warmed the crowd as she saluted the volunteers by program and invited them to raise their arms and light up the night with their flash bands.

This year’s Garden Party was a huge success and an evening to remember. So many amazing people were in attendance to celebrate the volunteers and Friendship Circle community.

“We are so grateful for our volunteers, who, one by one, are making a huge difference in the lives of so many children,” said Michy Rav-Noy.

“We thank all those who came out to support us and we look forward to many more years together full of growth and opportunities for our special friends and volunteers,” he said.

To support the important work of friendship Circle of Los Angeles, please visit www.fcla.org/donate.