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The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2015 - Page 29 iDudi Visions ZABS Place Strives to Hebrew for Credit Students are Learning Discover Hidden Potential and Having Fun When parents of adults with speeial needs wanted to organize a group home in Charlotte, Roehel Groner had another idea. Roehel is eo-direetor of Friendship Cirele, a volunteer based program that ad- voeates on behalf of kids with spe eial needs. With a baekground in retail, she founded ZABS Plaee, an upseale thrift boutique and em ployment training eenter. “Our goal is to ereate a store with a diverse assortment of qual ity resale merehandise and one-of- a-kind ereations, made by loeal young adults with speeial needs, all at thrift shop priees,” says Roehel. Zabs Plaee is named after Zaehary Shporer, a 19-year-old Friendship Cirele volunteer who passed away from leukemia in spring 2012. The Friendship Cir ele is an inspiration of Chabad Lubaviteh of Charlotte, NC. Aeeording to the organizers, upon graduating high sehool, adults with speeial needs have a diffieult time transitioning from sehool to everyday life. “While most people their age would be going to eollege or getting a job, it is a more diffieult transition for people with speeial needs,” says Bentzion Groner, eo-direetor of the Friendship Cirele. It is even more diffieult for parents whose ehildren had a routine sehedule while in sehool, but now have no way to oeeupy their time. Aeeording to the Bureau of Labor Statisties, in 2012, 69% of typieal young adults ages 16-35 were pursuing a eollege eareer or held a job. Contrast that with 74.3% of young adults with spe eial needs were living at home and were unemployed or had stopped looking for work. The Groners learned about this issue from many of the parents who they’ve been in toueh with through Friendship Cirele. “We felt that there is so mueh these kids have to offer. They have eertain talents and abilities, and are eapable of doing things that many others may find diffieult to do,” Bentzion says. With that idea, they looked a for a model and found it in Our Thrift Store in Franklin, TN, a non-profit that employs individu als with speeial needs. The Groners spent a day there to see how it would work and shortly after they arrived baek, they began to implement their vision. Dave and Sandy Krikae, the founders of the Tennessee thrift shop donated a piekup truek to ZABS Plaee. Turning to the eommunity, the idea was embraeed and donations of quality items that people had no use for, but others would, started to pile up. When a spaee was ae- quired, volunteers began sprueing it up and their vision beeame a re ality. Ultimately the goal is to pro vide steady employment at loeal businesses for these young adults. The Friendship Cirele partnered with Lifespan Serviees of North Carolina and the Autism Founda Lori Lundy, a representative of the property owner, hands the keys to Roehel Groner. tion of the Carolinas to develop a job training program. “Partiei- pants’ skills and talents will be as- (Continued on page 30) Teehnology, games, move ment, and fun are all part of what’s happening in the Flebrew for Credit elasses at Flebrew High this year. Morot (teaehers) Donna DeGroot and Raehel Groner are busy planning aetivities that make learning the language a pleasure. They ineorporate all required ele ments of a normal high sehool elass into their elasses at CHS. For example, every year the students have a Hebrew projeet that they present to the rest of their elass. In the first year, the students make a power point slide show introdueing them selves. They share faets, and through this, learn vo- eabulary in Hebrew that eonneets to their own inter ests. In the seeond year, the students ereate a game to help their friends praetiee Hebrew vo- eabulary. Sinee this year we have seeond and third year students, the third year students eame to elass as guest experts and taught the seeond year students how to play their games, thus eneouraging the younger students to eontinue to learn. Hebrew for Credit is just an other way that the Hebrew High program eontinues to evolve, meeting the needs of today’s teens. If you would like to learn more about this, or any other part of the Hebrew High experienee, please eall Roz at 704-944-6782, or email reooper@shalomehar- lotte.org. ^ Hebrew for Credit students learn in many creative ways. Thank You Legacy Donors The following individualsyfamilies are in the Book of Life Society and have granted us permission to share with you that Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte has been included as a beneficiary of their legacy gift. The Jevvi sh Federation OF GREATER CHARLOTTE me 5Tne«ffTno4= A ocoave. THE A0WIR DF COMMUNITY community r JUvfnnp PARTNER Anonymous* (9) Judy and Stan August Amy Augustine Jill and Craig 8ahck Gail and John Baron Brian and Glenda Bernhardt Andrew and Elka Bernstein Bobbi and Don Bernstein Cary Bernstein and Alan Krone vet Sam and Nancy Bernstein Martin Birnbaum Jill Blumenthal Lisa and Barry Blau Dr, Michael and Lenora Borchardt Stephanie Brodsky Tracy Brown Suly and Richard Chenkin Steven and Olivia Cohen Wendy W, Cohen (OBM) FCjfc Andrea and George Cronson Jilt and Michael Dinerman David and Aleen Epstein Meg Goidstein and Matthew Luftglass Milton and Arlene Goldstein Marcello Belinda Go relick Todd and Stacy Miller Goretick Bill and Patty Gore lick Danny and Fay Green (OBM) Jodi and Josh Greenwald Bonnie F. Hart Jonathan Howard Donald and Susan Jacobs Florence Jaffa Dana and Andrew Kapustin Nancy and Bob Kipnis Richard and Paula Klein Jaime and Elise Kosofsky Alison and Mark Lerner Eric Lerner Gary and Donna Lerner Harry Lerner Barbara and Jerry Levin Ross C, Levin Julie Lerner Levine Leon and Sandra Levine Louis Sinkoe and Kevin Levine El [is Levinson Hal arid Holly Levinson Sam and Linda Levy Laura and Marc Lewin Sue Littauer Rose and Abe Luski Scott and Pamela Menaker Risa B. and C. David Miller Dr. Ed and Jill Newman Richard Osbome Brenda and Floyd Patten Dale Polsky Steven and Melissa Haphael Andrew and Jennifer Rosen Anita Rounds Larry Sc hwart Linda Seigel Melvin Segal Amy Jill Seitlin Lori and Eric Sklut Ira and Stacey Slomka Dr Joseph and Renee Steiner Stepharsie Townsend David and Debra Van Glish Mark Weintraub Kim and Sue Worrel Elizabeth Star Winer Bob and Anne Vudell Dr Samuel and Emily Zimmern ‘Dims wlw wish fd tm$m sm^mis QBM - Of Blssssd FOUNDATION^flr.h, CHARLOTTE JEW(SH COMMUrVlTV 704.973.4544 charlottejewishfoundation.org A suppofling oi^ni/sdon of FotittfaHon Fof The Catolmas LIFEcS^ LEGACy
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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