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The Circle of Friends recently hosted an Evening of Recognition Dinner to honor it's more than 100 teen and adult volunteers who work with children with special needs.
With a heartfelt keynote address that had the crowd mesmerized and rising in applause Rebetzin Freida Hecht director and founder of the Circle of Friends- CT inspired the crowd of over three hundred people, 100 of them Teen volunteers, to continue their vital work on behalf of children with special needs. Quoting the Lubavitcher Rebbe she said “We really need to see the inner souls of these children as they are Children with special souls who are a gift to the world.”
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CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and the Director of the Schneerson Center for Jewish Life Rabbi Levi and Chanie Stone
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Mrs. Hecht who is the driving force of the program spoke of the importance of this vital work that mainstreams these children and their families into the Jewish community. The program allows the teen volunteers to grow as individuals as they volunteer to be friends to the children with special needs. The teens offer the gift of friendship to a child or young teen who may have never experienced the gift of friendship.
To further highlight and recognize the life altering work of the Circle of Friends Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal attended and spoke at the event. He presented the teen volunteers with special citations of merit recognizing their service. He encouraged the teens to continue to lead by personal example “Show your friends that it’s cool to help others through public service.”
In addition, The Circle of Friends presented six high school seniors attending Westport Staples, Weston High and Wilton High School with Fellowship Awards for their combined 2,000 volunteer "Friendship Hours".
The event was attended by over 300 people and was held in the Shul of Beth Israel of Westport/Norwalk, 40 King Street in Norwalk, CT where since 1984 Rabbi Yehoshua and Rebetzin Freida Hecht serve as shluchim of the Rebbe. Rabbi Hecht is Rav to the communities of Westport, Weston, Wilton and Norwalk CT. He also serves as President of the Rabbinical Council of CT.
The Circle of Friends is an all volunteer organization which reaches out to families with children with special needs and involves them in a full spectrum of social programs and weekly home visitations and play dates. The Teen volunteers come from the communities of Westport, Weston, Wilton, Norwalk & Fairfield, CT.
Concluding its seventh year under the auspices of Beth Israel of Westport/Norwalk & co-sponsored by The Schneerson Center for Jewish Life CT, Inc. which is headed by Rabbi Levi and Chanie Stone of Westport, CT the teen volunteers and their adult supervisors are currently involved with over 85 families in the area.
For more information on The Circle of Friends and its program, please call Freida Hecht, Director at 203-293-8837. Or email circlect@gmail.com or www.circleoffriendsct.org. 40 King Street Norwalk, CT 06851.
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