The spotlight was on kids and adults with special needs at the Walk 4 Friendship, benefiting the Friendship Circle in West Bloomfield. The non-profit provides critical support for families.
“You just feel this belonging and love and pure friendship and it’s amazing,” said team volunteer Aden Opperer
Brody Fried has been coming to the Friendship Circle since he was two.
“I like to talk about airports!” Brody said.
“The sensory room, the water room, he just looks forward to everything,” his mom Randy added.
Brody is now almost 13 years old and his Mom says he loves the friendships he’s made here.
“This is a space where he can come and be himself and really flourish,” she said.
In light of the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield earlier this year, there was a heavy police presence at the event and families were bussed into the area.
The non-profit hopes to raise $1.25 million dollars at the Walk4Friendship event in West Bloomfield. The money raised will help pay for programs that provide social connections, employment opportunities and support for people with special needs.
“It’s a place where people are really included for the infinite value they have and really seen as that exceptional person. We’re realizing the unique potential in every person,” said Bassie Shemtov, the director of the Friendship Circle.
