Hundreds of families in the Miami area took part in the 16th Annual Walk for Friendship 3K on Sunday morning.
The event is hosted by the nonprofit Friendship Circle of Miami, which is a program that helps individuals with special developmental and/or intellectual needs acquire the skills necessary to enhance their social lives.
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WATCH HERE“I got involved about 18 years ago," said Michele Kaplan, a board member for the nonprofit. "My son has special needs, he has something called Fragile X Syndrome in Autism and when he was diagnosed, I felt very alone; and a friend recommended me to Friendship Circle.”
Kaplan and her 19-year-old son Mathew join a number of families who are united under Friendship Circle’s mission of love and inclusivity.
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Rabbi Yossi Harlig and his wife created the organization back in 2004 and this year, the Walk for Friendship 3K raised more than $182,000.
“We run over 26 different programs, and the community is coming together to say, ‘we want to support this,’" Rabbi Harlig told NBC 6.
Christine Nieves said the nonprofit has helped her 9-year-old son Grayson, who was diagnosed with level two Autism.
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“He struggles a lot with emotional behaviors, and that's why programs like Friendship Circle are so important because they're based on friendship, and that can teach him exactly how to build those bonds and friendships so that he could be an active member of the community,” she said.
In the past, Grayson has been bullied, but with the nonprofit’s volunteer pairing, kids like him are able to feel accepted and included.
“Going into lunch and all the kids are sitting together, but they think he's weird, so he gets isolated by himself,” Nieves added.
“There are different varying levels of abilities, but there's a space and a place for everyone,” said Miami-Dade District 8 Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins.
She told NBC6 the narrative when certain language is used to describe these individuals with special needs is very important, adding that every step counts toward the walk for friendship.
To learn more about the mission and ways to donate or volunteer, click here.
