[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13396]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  ON THE OCCASION OF THE FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE OF MICHIGAN'S SIXTH ANNUAL 
                            WALK4FRIENDSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 12, 2011

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Friendship 
Circle of Michigan as it holds its sixth annual Walk4Friendship.
  Founded on the noble ideal that every person, regardless of physical 
and mental ability, deserves to have a loving and supportive 
environment, the Friendship Circle has become an important support 
network for individuals with special needs and their families.
  In its seventeen years of existence, the Friendship Circle has 
expanded to cover more than eighty locations across twenty-two states 
and seven countries. Annually, over twenty-five hundred students with 
special needs in the metro Detroit area benefit from the specialized 
learning envircinmerit the Circle provides.
  While there are many benefits to the Friendship Circle's members that 
are intangible, there are many numbers that sum the critical support it 
provides. Nine, the number of essential life skills which are taught to 
circle members at two hundred schools over fifty-four districts across 
Southeast Michigan. Seventeen, the number of customized lessons which 
are used to teach circle members important life skills. Eleven, the 
number of real-life environments at the Friendship Circle's Weinberg 
Village where members can practice and perfect their lessons to become 
productive members of the community. Nine-hundred, the number of 
volunteers in the metro Detroit region who have devoted time in 2011 to 
continuing to make the Friendship Circle's mission possible. And most 
importantly, one, the founder of Friendship Circle, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, 
whose bold vision, righteous determination and commitment to his 
article of faith have made this program possible.
  This year, as the Friendship Circle celebrates its sixth annual 
Walk4Friendship, we are reminded that our Nation is only as strong as 
the most vulnerable among us. With over five thousand participants 
expected this year, this 5k walk will continue to raise much needed 
resources and continue to raise the awareness community necessary to 
ensure that the Friendship Circle and its mission will endure.
  Mr. Speaker, the Friendship Circle, along with its thousands of 
supporters in Southeast Michigan, has done so much to strengthen the 
lives of individuals with special needs and provide crucial support to 
their families. I am so pleased at the continuing success of the 
Friendship Circle in fulfilling its mission and look forward to 
continuing my work with it and its members as we move forward.

                          ____________________