By Hannah Grossman
“Welcome to your awesome day of pampering,” the invitation to the event read.
About 50 attendees arrived at the Mansion at Lawrence on Wednesday for an event sponsored by HASC Center and organized as a team effort of HASC Center and Friendship Circle, that focused on giving mothers of special needs children a social outing, gourmet food, and generally a good time.
HASC or Hebrew Academy For Special Children provides a wide range of supportive services to individuals with special needs. They have been around since 1963. Friendship Circle creates meaningful relationships and friendships between teen volunteers and children with special needs.
Wednesday was the first time the groups collaborated. It took two months of planning to put on the retreat, which ran from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
When each mother walked into the Mansion she received a cheerful welcome, a name tag, and a poem that was tailored for the day.
It read, “Most of her days | She spends quiet and content | Thanking Hashem | For the Brocha He sent | But every once in a while | A concern does arise | A harrowing day… ”
It continued, “Enjoy this short respite | This day we have planned… We look forward to being there | Whenever you’re in need | with our support services | It’s Friendship Circle and HASC indeed!”
“We want to serve anyone who has a child with special needs,” Bracha Lavrinoff, the family support coordinator at HASC, said. She has worked at HASC for 12 years.
As part of the retreat, the attendees received an allotted time when they would have a 20 minute massage to soothing music. They also were given an appointment for a consultation with a HASC member who would discuss the multiple resources the organization provides to special needs adults and children.
“We are hoping they have a good relaxing time, and that we get to tell them about our services,” Devorah Kahn, purchaser at HASC, told the Five Towns Jewish Times. She has been working at HASC with her husband, Shmiel Kahn, since 1972.
HASC resources include a Medical Center, Residential Services, Day Habilitation, Community Habilitation, Family Support, a Summer Camp, Vocational programs, and Self Direction. The services are geared towards individuals of all ages who have speech, learning, or motor limitations and also children with behavioral challenges.
Tammy* is one of the mothers who attended the event. She discovered that she had a child with special needs while she was attending Adelphi for a graduate program in special education.
Raising a special needs child is “fun” she said. Her family is like any other, but some things can be different.
Tammy also said that having a child with special needs enables her to be better at her job.
“I was able to speak to parents in a way they could understand because I have a special needs child,” she said.
About the event she said, “It’s really nice to meet this amazing group of women.”
The event was open to women of all ages who are from the Far Rockaway and Long Island areas. The ages of attendees ranged from 20s to 60s.
Even though the women came from all kinds of backgrounds and ages, Tammy felt that she could “let her guard down” and just be comfortable with them as if they already knew each other.
One session included group games such as “bunny bunny” that made the room echo with laughter, and another gave the moms an opportunity to break a sweat in fitness classes.
“Whatever you ate yesterday or the day before will be gone,” the fitness instructor jokingly said right before the glow in the dark dance class.
The moms were given sweatbands and melted calories using trampolines, pom-poms, and hoops that lit up in the dark when the lights were dimmed. They danced, bounced, and huffed and puffed to loud upbeat music.
It can be hard to be a mom of a child with special needs. Community, friendship, and fun can make things easier. In addition to pampering the ladies, the organizers focused on peppering the sessions with positivity and spiritually uplifting words of encouragement.
“Cheer for yourself. You did it ladies,” the fitness instructor said.
The mini-retreat ended with comedy, a Torah class and a Kumzitz.
Thank you to Bracha Lavrinoff, Beilu Freund, Devorah Kahn, Miriam Nemetzky, Suri Taub, Chava Miriam Zell of HASC Center and to Batsheva Borenstein, and Rocheli Lavrinoff of the Friendship Circles for making this amazing event a huge success.
*Name has been changed.
So nice! Well deserved!