See you Feb. 28 for Michigan Communicators at Friendship Circle in West Bloomfield
Thanks to longtime Michigan Communicators friend Howard Brown, we will start 2020 with a special visit to an absolutely remarkable facility that I’m sure most of you have never seen: The Friendship Circle facility in West Bloomfield. Run by a Jewish nonprofit, our host for the initial tour that morning will be Rabbi Levi Shemtov.
LOCATION: 6892 West Maple Road West Bloomfield. The site is just west of the Jewish Community Center on the same north-side of Maple Road. (It’s also just northwest of the big Henry Ford complex and the long driveway into the center is next door to St. Thomas Chaldean church.)
Friendship Circle provides assistance and support to 3,000 individuals with special needs and their families by providing recreational, social, educational and vocational programming. Friendship Circle also provides support to individuals and families struggling with isolation, addiction and other family-related crises. The facility itself is a model for this kind of program, including a small portion of a “city” where people with special needs can learn about interacting with common public facilities and businesses.
REMEMBER OUR FORMAT?
Please arrive by 9 a.m. so our morning can begin as soon as possible. There’s so much to see and learn about in our host facility. We always give our hosts up to 10 a.m. to provide a walk-and-talk orientation to their organization. Then, at 10 a.m., we begin the “roundtable,” where we all share about projects, ideas, requests for assistance in our work, etc. We always close at 12-noon on the dot. If you’re new: There’s no formal membership or fee. Just come. Got a friend or colleague who’d like to accompany you? Invite them.
HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?
If something important arises that morning, just let me know that day. And, yes, you can email in advance to prompt my planning. Veterans also know that, on a practical level, not everyone gets to take the floor before we hit 12-Noon and our time runs out. So, make use of email—let me know if you are coming with some special news to share.
Have a colleague or friend you want to bring along? Just to repeat: We always welcome newcomers.
Email me at [email protected] with any questions. Look forward to seeing you!
David Crumm
