The Friendship Circle provides services and support for Jewish children and teens with special needs through the help of trained teen volunteers and staff.
Get in the Circle
We've recently opened a local branch of the Friendship Circle International right here on the West Side!
The Friendship Circle's unique approach brings together teenage volunteers and children with special needs for hours of fun and friendship. These shared experiences empower children with special needs, while enriching the lives of everyone involved.
Children bloom and gain the confidence they need to make the most their abilities and talents.
Teenage volunteers learn the priceless value of giving, the curative power of friendship, and the vital importance of integrating children with special needs into our communities.
Parents and siblings receive much-needed needed respite and support from the Friendship Circle community, and all those who assist it.
The Friendship Circle links volunteers, children, parents, staff, and supporters in a seamless circle of friendship that makes miracles happen every day.
Each independent Friendship Circle is operated by its local Chabad Lubavitch Center, and entirely supported by each local community to benefit local children with special needs.
We are pleased to welcome the new coordinators, Rabbi Mendel and Chayale Kugel! We are certain that with their energy, talent and experience in working with children and families, Rabbi Mendel and Chaya will help guide the Friendship Circle into a new era of growth, excitement and increased awareness in the community.
Rabbi Mendel and Chaya can be reached at fcws@chabadwestside.org. They are eager to hear your ideas on how to make our Friendship Circle even stronger and reach more people than ever before!
introducing Rabbi Mendel and Chayale Kugel
Mendel is the son of Rabbi Shlomo and Rivka Kugel, directors of Chabad of the West Side. He attended Yeshiva Katana on the West Side, and then continued his studies in yeshivas around the world. He spent a year in Yeshiva in Australia where he and friends tutored and arranged after school activities for the Jewish high school students. Mendel was a counselor and then director in various Jewish day camps in the US and Canada. After several years of study, he recently received his Rabbinical ordination.
Chaya grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia, where her parents co-direct the Chabad Center. Most of her schooling was done in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After graduating high school, she spent a year of study in Israel. Chaya also spent her summers working as a counselor and head counselor on Chabad day camps around the world. Recently, Chaya worked as a program cooordinator for Chabad of Greenwich, Connecticut. She directed the weekly Hebrew school as well as Shabbat and holiday programs for children of all ages. She is fluent in Spanish and English.
Mendel and Chaya married on January 6, 2011, and have a little baby girl named Sarah.
Parents: How You Can Get Involved
If you are a parent of a child with special needs, click here to fill out a formand the FC Coordinator will contact you. We will set up a time to visit so we can find out what your child's needs are, and which teen will be best suited for your child.
Teens: How You Can Volunteer
If you are a teen between the ages of 13 - 19 and would like to become a child with special needs' friend and visit with them every week,fill in the form here and the Friendship Circle Coordinator will contact you for an interview.
We'll sit together and find out what kind of kid you will work well with and train you for the "position." Get ready for a year of fun, love and fulfilment!
Mendel is the son of Rabbi Shlomo and Rivka Kugel, directors of Chabad of the West Side. He attended Yeshiva Katana on the West Side, and then continued his studies in yeshivas around the world. He spent a year in Yeshiva in Australia where he and friends tutored and arranged after school activities for the Jewish high school students. Mendel was a counselor and then director in various Jewish day camps in the US and Canada. After several years of study, he recently received his Rabbinical ordination.