Testimonials - Friendship Circle

Letters

Dear Jacob,

You’ve been my Friendship Circle friend for so long, and I cannot believe that you are graduating and going to college in the Fall. I will miss you a lot.

When I think about all that we have done together over the years, I have many happy memories.

You and your family were there for me at my Bar Mitzvah celebration in the summer of 2021. And even before that, you helped me to complete my Bar Mitzvah project by helping me sell lemonade at my lemonade stand at Music Circle in May 2021.

You also helped me to get through some really tough times back in 2020 when the world shut down for the COVID pandemic, meeting with me via Zoom. You were one of the only friends I had to share things with when we were all locked in our homes for all of those months.

Throughout the years, you and I have had so many wonderful times at FAH and special happenings like Music Circle, Sports Circle, Tennis Club, and Cooking Circle. I will never forget these times. You always have made me feel happy and accepted and you have taught me so much!

I wish you nothing but the best as you graduate high school and start college, and I hope that we can somehow stay in touch. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to be your friend and learn about our Jewish faith and how to be a good friend to all.

Your Friend, Keighan

Dear Aaron,

We have had such a blast hanging out with you the past three years. We started on Zoom, with lots of super Tic-Tac-Toe, drawing, and conversations about sports. This year, we had so much fun seeing you at the JCC every Sunday, where you beat us in basketball (sometimes), never quite figured out how to play racquetball, and set record mile times on the bikes. We’ve loved getting to know you better and watching you grow. We’ll miss you so much next year and we are confident that your future is bright.

From, Sam and Clara

Testimonial

...we asked Jack if he was looking forward to having you come for a visit after Passover and school vacation had kept you and him apart for several straight weeks. He said, “yes, I miss them.” That might seem like an innocent enough comment for a typical 15-year-old, but for us, and for Jack, it was a huge breakthrough… the concept of “missing” someone was not something he had ever offered up on his own, and it showed a real consciousness of a relationship that had developed.
~Bruce Putterman, Friendship Circle Dad

Alex and Josh are great with Zachary! They call him by name, which is a good habit for him, and they ask him things. They compliment him, laugh at his jokes, and interact with him. They also tell him if he is getting carried away with something. In Zachary’s case, he needs role-models to show him how to interact with friends, and Alex and Josh are fabulous! Zachary looks forward to playing with them.
~Jessica Borden, Friendship Circle Mom

I never would have thought that spending one hour per week with someone could have such an impact on each of us individually. Dan and I created a special friendship with Gary, and it has strengthened over the course of this year. I noticed the effect that it had on me when I found myself searching for Gary in the cafeteria one day just to say hello to brighten up my day; it worked. Additionally, whenever Dan or I are unable to spend our time with Gary, the other one has noted that each time, he has set up a bingo board and filled it out as if we were all there. I think that this shows the impact that Friendship Circle has on the volunteers and our friends.
~Ben Alpert, Friendship Circle Volunteer