By COLlive reporter
Friendship Circle International, in conjunction with 18 local chapters around the country, is hosting a “Frienday” to crowdfund necessary financial support for the activities benefiting children and young adults with special needs.
Friendship Circle, created and run by Chabad Shluchimm has been providing children with special needs with the friendship, inclusion and emotional support by uniting them with volunteer teenagers.
Accompanying the campaign will be the first “Say Friendship” telethon on September 8, at 7:00 PM EST. The 90-minute live-stream event will be hosted by Michael Strahan, Hall-Of-Fame New York Giants star defensive linemen and current host of Good Morning America.
Among those performing will be Israel-born comedic magician Lioz Shem Tov, singer and pianist Kodi Lee who is autistic and blind, singer Emmanuel Kelly who was both born with severely underdeveloped limbs due to the chemical warfare in their native country of Iraq.
“The past few months have revealed that friendship is essential to human joy, individual empowerment, and collective unity,” organizers said. “Be it a pandemic, loneliness, isolation, mental or emotional health, or social tensions, friendship is the glue that holds us together and brings us closer. With strong friendships we could withstand anything and transform everything.
“When a human being has an ability, friendship helps maximize its impact. When a human being has a disability, friendship helps transform it. When we are confronted by an unexpected challenge, friendship helps us rise to meet it. When our individual or collective world seems to fragment, friendship pulls it all together again.”
Participating branches are Ariella’s New York Friendship Circle, Australian Friendship Circle, Friendship Circle of Las Vegas, Philly Friendship Circle, Friendship Circle Toronto, Friendship Circle of Virginia, Friendship Circle of Charlotte, Friendship Circle of Five Towns, Friendship Circle of Howard Country, Friendship Circle of Atlanta, Conejo Valley Friendship Circle, Friendship Circle Wast Hempstead, Bay Area Friendship Circle, Friendship Circle of Arizona, Valley Chabad Friendship Circle, Friendship Circle of Los Angeles, Valley Friendship Circle Los Angeles, and Friendship Circle of Montreal.
For more, visit sayfriendship.org
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