As a young teacher of children with disabilities, Toba Grossbaum of Livingston was troubled by her students’ struggles and loneliness, and the lack of respite options for parents. In 2000, she and her husband Zalman founded the Friendship Circle of New Jersey to address this need. The Friendship Circle offers social and recreational opportunities for children and teens with special needs, designed to nurture confidence and self-esteem in a safe, warm, and welcoming environment. Friendship Circle’s distinctive approach of pairing participants with teen volunteers motivates, inspires and enriches everyone involved. More than 6,500 teens have become volunteer mentors and friends to children with disabilities – providing 42,000 volunteer hours annually. The Friendship Circle now has six locations in New Jersey and 85 around the world. Toba is the driving force behind the creation of LifeTown, a state-of-the-art 53 thousand square foot simulated village – the first of its kind in the region — that will help prepare young people with special needs for independent living.

Friendship Circle offers innovative respite, social, and recreational programs for people with special needs and families with the help of teen volunteers. The goal of Friendship Circle is to engage children and teens with special needs through social and recreational opportunities. Teen volunteers develop friendships with children with special needs that transcend disabilities and foster connection to the larger community. Life Town is a 53,000 square foot fully inclusive and accessible recreation, education and therapeutic center designed for people with special needs and their families.