They have counselors. They have doctors. All they need are friends.
And this year, friends are exactly what children with mental disabilities in the Friendship Circle program got 62 of them, in fact — as 62 teenage and college-aged Capital District volunteers visited homes of families that had one or more children with a disability.
These 62 volunteers gathered Tuesday, June 3, to accept appreciation awards for their service to the community.
According to Mazal Mardakhayeva, the group’s volunteer coordinator, volunteers are paired up with the children with disabilities based on their personalities.
On Sundays, the kids can meet at the [Jewish Community Center] with all the volunteers and do art, music and karate,` said Mardakhayeva.
The Sunday program, called the `Sunday Circle,` allows the children not only to mingle with new friends but to get out of the house while doing so.
For some parents, having a few extra hours in the house to themselves while their children are taken care of and having fun is a great gift.
Julia Stiles, a mother of twin boys with autism, said, `For me, to just be able to do something once a month is great ` and it’s such a peaceful, happy time for them too.`
Stiles, who said her sons, Robert and David, turned 6 last month, said that her family has been a part of the program since October 2007, and that they have volunteers come to their home, as well as attend the Sunday Circle.
She also said that the frequent interaction with the volunteers has opened her children up socially.
`My one son, David, is very nervous, but he’s always asking to go [to Sunday Circle], and he draws pictures of his friends,` she said.
Stiles said while Robert was diagnosed with a pervasive development disorder, David has high-functioning autism.
As complex as these disorders might be, the volunteers become well versed in them as they are required to go through training before visiting the children, according to Liba Andrusier, director of the Capital District program.
`They are trained by a psychologist and behavioral therapist,` she said.
Despite training, Andrusier said that in the Friends at Home program, parents are home while their children are playing with the volunteers.
`The parents have to be home since many of the volunteers are under 18,` said Andrusier. `They’re in a house, but parents still get a rest because they don’t have to watch their kids.`
Trish Washburn, another parent who brings her two children to the Sunday Circle, said she has not yet had volunteers from the Friends at Home program visit her children but she plans to do so next year.
Washburn said that the programs of the Friendship Circle are good for her children because they give them the opportunity to choose what activities they want to participate in.
`It’s great because they give them a variety of things to do,` said Washburn. `If they feel uncomfortable about doing any of the activities, they’re not forced to do them. It’s just a great place for them to grow and meet people.`
Meeting people is the premise of the program, and benefits not only the children, but the volunteers as well.
Amanda Eckert, 17, of Delmar, said `getting to know kids very well,` has made her experience as a volunteer memorable.
Sixteen-year-old Tana Gordon, said, `This year has been kind of cool,` because of all the new people she met.
Saffi Rigberg, 18, of Voorheeseville, said she graduated from high school early this year, and in her transition time between high school and college, she has not only been interested in meeting new people, but in helping people in need by volunteering at the Friendship Circle, as well as at St. Peter’s hospital.
`For me, personally, volunteering makes me aware of the people I live with in my community,` she said, adding that she plans to attend college at SUNY College at Fredonia and specialize in helping children.
The group will continue to meet monthly at the Sunday Circle program and visit the children’s homes throughout the year.
For information, contact Liba Andrusier at [email protected] or call 438-4220.
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