All members of the community are invited to participate in the Friendship Circle’s annual Walk4Friends, which will be held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. May 22 at the Vonage campus in Holmdel.
The Friendship Circle offers programs for children with special needs and it also builds relationships, friendships, skills and careers, according to a press release.
In western Monmouth County, the Friendship Circle has more than 200 teen volunteers who provide friendship and services to young children with special needs, teens, young adults and adults.
This year’s Walk4Friends will highlight one of the Friendship Circle’s success stories: Sam Goto, a 21-year-old participant with special needs who, after many years of participation in the program, has become a key volunteer, according to the press release.
Over the past eight years, Goto, who was born with Koolen-deVries Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by developmental delays and cognitive disabilities, has grown and developed from a Friendship Circle participant or “special friend” to a much valued Friendship Circle volunteer, according to the press release.
Chanale Woloslow, Friendship Circle director, said it is “beautiful to see how (Goto grew into) a boy who was benefiting from our programs and now he is completely on the other side of the ‘circle’ – able and eagerly giving back!”
Goto’s mother, Stacy, said, “the Friendship Circle has filled a void that families of special needs children have of allowing their children to be part of the community, allowing them to have friends like everyone else and [allowing them] to feel included and loved.”
According to the press release, many volunteers have made career choices based on their experience with the Friendship Circle, from social workers to occupational therapists.
Walk4Friends features a 1-mile walk with teams of walkers sponsored by friends and community. It is a family day with entertainment, rides, games, food and amusements. This fundraising event enables the Friendship Circle to plan and provide programs to more than 200 special needs children and families in western Monmouth County. For registration information, visit www.friendshipcircle.com