The Friendship Circle Miami — a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to offering friendship and acceptance to children, teens, and young adults with special needs, regardless of their disability — has created and launched its founding board of directors.
The board will provide the community leadership, program expertise, visibility and fundraising necessary to make The Friendship Circle of Miami a renowned and respected, top-tier philanthropic and service program in South Florida.
As well, the board is tasked with assisting in the development of a new, 20,000-square-foot Friendship Circle Campus to serve as an activity center, social meeting place, and hub for a network of families, individuals with special needs, volunteers, professional staff, and supporters.
Members of the founding board of directors for The Friendship Circle Miami include:
David Evensky, chair of the board and principal of Evensky & Katz/Foldes Financial Wealth Management;
Tracey Berkowitz, secretary of the board and trustee of the Fairholme Foundation;
Diane Adreon, EdD, associate director of UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilites (CARD) program;
Stacy Bolduc, Friendship Circle family member and volunteer;
Eugene R. Hershorin, MD, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Health within the University of Miami Health System’s Department of Pediatrics, and director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine;
Robert C. Josefsberg, Podhurst Orseck PA;
Paul and Michelle Kaplan, co-founders of KW Property Management;
Jason Margulies, partner in Lipcon Margulies Alsina & Winklema PA;
Libby Herrera-Navarette, Phillips Richard and Rind PA;
Joanna Palmer, healthcare media relations specialist who has represented institutions including the University of Miami Health System, Mount Sinai Medical Center, American Heart Association and Gastro Health;
Claudia Potamkin, chair and founder of Global Oceans;
Trevor Resnick, MD, former chief of the Department of Neurology for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine;
Joe Roisman, executive vice president of Perry Ellis International;
Todd Ruderman, Tarco Properties LLC and Value Store It Management Inc.;
Lisa Weiner, volunteer leader;
Rabbi Yossef Harlig and Nechama Harlig, ex-officio members of the board and Friendship Circle Miami co-directors.
“We are pleased to announce the formation of the board of directors for the Friendship Circle of Miami,” said board chair David Evensky.
“These individuals bring a wealth of experience and expertise in their fields and will be tremendous assets to the completion of a new campus and continued programmatic efforts.”
The Friendship Circle Miami will rely on Board support to develop and fund a new campus that will comprise two main buildings, respite gardens, and ample parking. Amenities will include beautiful and engaging activity rooms, lounges, preschool classrooms, and a number of custom rooms designed to meet the particular needs of their occupants.
As well, the new campus will seek to double the amount of children served every two years for the next decade, until the majority of disabled children in Miami-Dade seeking services are provided with life-changing personal support through social interaction, recreational opportunities, life skills training, community outreach, and family involvement.
The Friendship Circle also will seek to grow the multitude of programs they already offer that help children with special needs develop skills in areas such as art, music and sports. As well, these programs provide an opportunity for social connections among the participants, as well as their typical volunteer counterparts, which many of these children lack in their day-to-day routines. The young volunteers, in turn, build their leadership skills and learn how to foster values of altruism.
For more information on the Friendship Circle Miami, visit friendshipcirclemiami.org.
