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The Charlotte Jewish News -February 2013 - Page 11 It’s Time for a Paradigm Shift. Now. Friendship Circle Launches Job Skills Program for Special Needs Young Adults By Rachel Groner Let me introduee you to a friend of mine. We’ll eall him Mike to proteet his privaey. Mike is twenty three years old, six feet tall, and has brown hair. He loves watehing busy streets, listening to musie, and playing video games; lots of video games. He doesn’t talk mueh, but when he does it’s about ears. He won’t stop until he’s shared all he knows about pretty mueh every make and model sinee Henry Ford’s Model T from 1908. All the shifting feet, wateh glaneing, and looks of boredom are lost on Mike. Yes, Mike is obsessed with automo biles. He reads books about them and he’s watehed just about every movie and doeumentary there is about ears. Mike doesn’t drive, but when he’s pieked up to go somewhere first thing he does is assess the ear and tell you how mueh it’s worth and what you should do to inerease its value. Needless to say, Mike is a ear guru; a soeially awkward ear guru. Mike has Asperger’s Syn drome. The same syndrome that has made national headlines and eome under reeent serutiny in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. When Mike was a ehild, his parents were told to lower their expeetations or he would be a dis appointment. His teaehers were frustrated by his behavior and his eontinued obsession with odd de- Rochel Groner with some her Friendship Circle kids. tails of seemingly useless infor mation. High sehool for Mike was sim ply a disaster. His peers poked fun at him day in and day out. He be- eame the ieon of just about any nasty joke that eould be eon- eeived. He often eseaped from sehool to the elosest busy street and would sit for hours observing the ears that drove by. That’s how I met Mike, leaning against a util ity pole, seanning the traffie. After watehing him for several minutes from the window of a eoffee shop, I walked over to make sure he was ok and introdueed myself. After he finished eonverting me into an expert on the automobile industry, I asked him, “Did you see any Chevy Silverados drive by? They’re my favorite ear.” His im mediate answer, “Yeah, 34 not eounting the 9 GMC models that drove by.” Today, Mike lives at home with his parents. Mike has been written off by a soeiety unwilling to notiee his talents but quiek to pinpoint his syn drome as the eause for a horrifie tragedy without researeh or proof. If Mike was a ear salesman he would be the most honest and straight forward in the business. If Mike was a ear journalist his assessments would be unbiased, frank, and very thor ough. If Mike was an engineering teehnieian, his deseriptions of the vehiele produetion proeess would be so elear that the aeeompanying drawings would seem redundant. Yet, Mike still lives at home and has no job. In truth, Mike is a myth. I made him up for this artiele. Well not re ally, beeause I know about 25 Mikes and I’m sure you know a Mike too. You might even be re lated to one. The 25 Mikes that I know are unique. They have dif ferent personalities, are talented in different areas, and have entirely different interests. But something eommon in all of them is their un wavering honesty and non-judg- mental nature. They show eommitment, are hard workers, and pay elose attention to detail, when the subjeet appeals to them. Through my work with an or ganization ealled The Friendship Cirele I have met so many won derful Mikes. Until now, we have foeused on providing soeial op portunities to ehildren and teens with speeial needs by eonneeting them with loeal teens who share similar interests and together they have formed many genuine friendships. But to help ehange the Mikes’ situation, we are now launehing an employment training and job skills eenter for young adults with speeial needs. We are starting with a thrift boutique and eoffee shop to enable these under served members of our eommu- nity, like Mike, to foeus on developing their interests and tal ents, while aequiring essential job skills and training in an inelusive environment whieh eelebrates their individuality. We want to give them jobs, a salary, and a future. Not out of pity, but beeause we believe they are the most qualified human be ings on the planet. Stay tuned, be eause we’re going to prove it to you.^ Rachel Graner is the directar af the Friendship Circle af Char- latte. Far mare infarmatian abaut the Friendship Circle visit www.FriendshipCircleNC.arg. “Mentally, I’m more positive, happier, confident. With the coaching that Laurie Smith provided, i aiso found the man i’ve been searching for my whoie iife.’’ Sheila Thomas, Participant Women’s Leadership Coaching Program Women’s Coaching Program starts again this month! For a complimentary consult call soon: 704-604-1655 LIBERTY Tops the Charts Congratulations to LIBERTY (Temple Beth El’s 8th-12th grade Temple Youth Group) for being number #1 in the eountry. The Union for Reform Judaism’s North Ameriean Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) publishes their national partieipation data eaeh year, and for the seeond straight year, LIBERTY ranked #1 in eongregations with the most partieipants. We were also on the eharts at #7 for eongregations with the most registrations. We thank Andy Harkavy, our Direetor of Youth Engagement, our LIBERTY Board, our Youth Engagement Committee, and our entire eongregation for their sup port of our TBE Youth. For these statisties and more, visit the Tem ple Beth El website at www.beth- el.eom. From enriehing soeial and eul- tural programs to fun weekends with Jewish teens from through out the Southeast, LIBERTY of fers teens an amazing way to get involved, develop their leadership skills, make life-long friendships, and set the eourse for their own Jewish journeys. For more information, see www.beth- el.eom/youth.^ D"I3 Harvey Smith Laurie Smith * * ww.C^olinaBusi nessCoach.com * * Women'V hJewy Hadassah Health Night 2013 Ask the Doctor - The Latest and Greatest Please join us for Charlotte Hadassah Health Night 2013. This is a free program open to the entire eommunity on February 11, 7-9 PM in the Temple Israel soeial hall. Guest speakers will inelude Dr. Adam Berliner from the Compre hensive Pain and Spine Center on The Latest in Baek Care; Dr. Patrie MeElgunn of Piedmont Plastie Surgery and Dermatology on The Latest in Aesthetie Derma tology; and Dr. Miehael Rotberg from Charlotte Eye Ear Nose and Throat Assoeiates on The Latest in Eye Surgery and Eye Care. Please wateh for more informa tion on this informative and exeit- ing evening.^ IHA CAS SAH © insurance for Home, Auto, Business and Life. "My father, Harry, founded Swimmer Insurance Agency nearly 60 years ago offering security to the community and helping families through times of trouble. Today, we continue that tradition of service with everything we do. We will be there for every milestone, every hardship and every transition your family or business experiences.” - DflVlD SWIMMER Swimmer Insurance Agency 725 Providence Rd Charlotte. NC 28207 704-333.669d 'vww.swimmerinsurance.com
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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