Jaimee
Trust Your Instincts-Become a Friend
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Jaimee hangs out with her "special friend" Stephanie[/caption] My Friendship Circle journey began post-college [MSU] in the summer of 2008. I was a participant in the JOIN JVS-Internship Program which placed me with Maccabi Games. Fieldtrip Friday’s were the best. All 12 interns gathered at a Jewish Site in SE Michigan to learn more about our vibrant Jewish Community. The day we came to the Friendship Circle I was in shock. Keep in mind, when we came in, it was a ghost-town. There was no Programs, no kids running around, no Torah Teens, Lifeskills, Play Therapy. School was out for the summer. But I was so impressed by this miniature town referred to as “Life Town” that I vowed to get involved when the school year began in the fall. I met with Tzvi Shectman and before I knew it I became a volunteer for the Friends@Home Program. At the beginning, I thought I was going to become a mentor for 17-year old Stephanie. Little did I know that she soon would become mine? I was so afraid. What if I said something wrong? What if she didn’t like me? What if I didn’t know how to communicate in a way that would be beneficial for her? My thoughts were crippling me…I’m not trained to work with children with special needs. What if..What if…What if? I, myself was so worried in doing something wrong that I didn’t realize how much time had passed. Our friendship grew and grew. Every Thursday afternoon was “Steph & Jaimee Day.” We would do a variety of activities including: puzzles, board games, neighborhood walks, swinging in the park, watching Hannah Montana and discussing our mutual love for Hello Kitty. The very first day I treated like an interview. Steph asked me a million and one questions which I assumed she would quickly forget. The next week, she asked them all AGAIN. Except this time, she answered them all herself. Correctly. I was in shock!! How does she retain this amount of information? When my friends and family ask me things they can’t remember and I usually end up repeating myself, but not with Stephanie. Something was different, something amazing, something so pure. She is my inspiration. This year she is graduating from West Bloomfield High School and plans to spend the summer working at Meijer. In the Fall, she plans to attend Oakland Community College. Her dreams have become a reality and I feel so honored to be a part of it. The Beatles had it right when they said “I get by with a little help from my friends.” I can’t explain the high I get by being around people at the Friendship Circle like Stephanie. It’s a bond that’s unlike any other friendship I have ever experienced. Everyone deserves a good friend and it breaks my heart when I hear stories of children with special needs being mistreated or made fun of at school. It’s easy for pre-teens and teenagers to stare and laugh at peers for being different. It’s a lot harder to dig a bit deeper and get to know these people on an individual level. In the future, when you make a promise to yourself to learn about these special needs and the people behind them you will be laughing with them [not at them] and your life will be forever changed.
