MarisaGrossbergHawkenProjects2023

Wow, these past three weeks have been amazing! I am so grateful that Ellie proposed the idea of doing our senior project at Friendship Circle and to see the work she has been doing almost every day after school for the past four years. Friendship Circle is a nationwide organization and charity that establishes relationships between Jewish teenagers and children with developmental disabilities. Friendship Circle of Cleveland was founded in 2003, and since then has continued to enable kids of all abilities to grow and develop the confidence they need to maximize their skills and talents. Ellie and I were inspired to do this project because we both have a love for working with youth and an interest in how non-profit organizations function. Furthermore, because Ellie and I plan to major in communications in college, one of our main objectives for this project was to put an emphasis on marketing, advertisement, and design. Overall, Ellie and I had an incredible experience learning from our ...

I can't believe my senior project will be over in the next two days! It went by so quickly, and I have learned some important lessons that I will apply for the rest of my life.  Ellie and I met with Yosef last Wednesday and had a debrief of the gala the day before. The gala went better than we could have imagined. The event had a fantastic turnout, with adults, teenagers, families, donors, and participants all showing their support, which gave the gala a very special atmosphere. Everyone spoke highly of the event's live music from the Friendship Circle band's performance. It was so cool to see everyone turn on their phone flashlights as the band brought the community together through dancing and Jewish music. Yosef expressed his gratitude for all of the work Ellie and I accomplished over the past two weeks. He appreciated us for choosing to complete our senior project at the Friendship Circle and for persevering during the days leading up to the gala, which can be incredibl...

It was gala day and everyone was super excited! Ellie and I made a quick Starbucks run first thing in the morning since we knew we needed some caffeine to get this big day started. We headed over to Beachwood High School (the venue of the gala) to get started on some last-minute preparations and decorations. Yosef, Ellie, and I carried all of the boxes containing the gift bags into the auditorium and onto the stage. We divided the gift bags by gender, alphabetical order by last name, and the three major award categories — mayoral, senate, and presidential. Sorting the bags into the proper order took a lot of time because they were all mixed up and out of order, however, we got to enjoy some background music from the Friendship Circle band's rehearsal.  After sorting the bags, Ellie and I began arranging the bags in the auditorium. The teen boy volunteer bags were placed on the left side and the teen girl volunteer bags on the right. This is because men and women are separ...

Today was a very busy day in preparation for tomorrow's 2023 Friendship Circle Gala! We are so excited that all of our hard work is being contributed to such a worthy cause. Ellie and I began the day by attending a staff meeting in the morning, where we discussed the objective of week 11 - setting expectations. This objective is especially important in light of tomorrow's gala. It is essential that each team member understands who is responsible, who is accountable, and who is contributing particular abilities to the event. It is also important to give input to one another to prevent confusion or becoming sidetracked and to take a moment to reflect and appreciate everyone who has contributed to this amazing event.  After the meeting, we got to work putting together the gift bags that will be given out to the teen volunteers. Each recipient receives a certificate (whether it's a mayor, senator, or president award), a personalized speaker, a chocolate bar, and a pair of Frien...

Ellie and I have been working hard in preparation for the gala! We began Thursday morning by finishing 70 personalized speakers that will be distributed to the Friendship Circle volunteers. Although it took a while, we really enjoyed the process and the opportunity to develop our creative skills. After the chaos of working on gala preparation, Ellie and I had the chance to sit down with our mentor Yosef to learn more about how the Friendship Circle integrates Jewish values into its mission of building connections between Jewish teenagers and young people with developmental disabilities.  We read from Chapter 32 of the Tonya - a Jewish scripture which the principles of the Friendship Circle are taken from. We discussed the importance of how to spread love throughout our lives as a way to honor G-d each day. Through volunteering these past couple of days, building new connections, and performing Mitzvot (good deeds in Hebrew), the Tonya advocates for us to create a lifeline to G-d, w...

The last few days have been super busy; the gala is a week from today! After arriving at Friendship Circle, Ellie and I attended the Monday morning staff meeting. They started by reading the mission statement for week ten. This week's mission is to "speak straight." I learned that speaking straight is being direct, clear, and genuine in our communication. Most people appreciate hearing the truth, good or bad. Though, it's not that we should dump our bucket in the act of honesty. It implies that we speak with sincerity, modesty, and simplicity. It indicates that we are free from communication styles like withholding, controlling, avoiding, and defending. Speaking straight takes an immense amount of effort and dedication to better both oneself and the people around you. Also, each staff member went around the table to share their weekly goals, the majority of which included preparations for the gala the following week.  Following the meeting, we met with Estie Marozov, ...

Ellie and I arrived at Friendship Circle early on the first day of the project and I finally had the chance to meet my mentor Yosef in person. We sat down with some of the staff members and listened in on their meeting. They gave us an introduction and described their respective roles within the organization. Among the staff members I had the pleasure of meeting, their jobs included program director, co-director, event manager, director of youth engagement, and aids and specialists. They discussed a challenge they were facing within the organization at the meeting. One kid has been causing issues that have gone out of control; the staff was brainstorming strategies on how this child can continue to participate in the Friendship Circle without disrespecting those around him. They talked about creating specialized programs for children with more severe disabilities and ensuring that these children always have aids on hand.  After the meeting, Ellie and I met with Yosef in h...

In October of 2022, my friend Ellie DeMinico proposed the idea of doing a Hawken project together at the Friendship Circle. She constantly shares her enthusiasm for interacting with all of the amazing people there and being a part of a community where she truly belongs. I have prior experience working with children, and  Ellie emphasizes the value of engaging with kids in the organization.  I  started babysitting when I was around 11 years old, and I was aware from a young age that I enjoyed interacting with and taking care of children. Now that I'm 18 years old, I still adore being around children because of the joy they bring me. I still do as much babysitting as I can, and I've had a few nannying positions that required me to take care of children for as much as 12 hours a day. Also being a competitive dancer, I teach dance classes to kids 3 to 12 years old at my dance studio. Sharing my passion for dance with those who are  much younger than me has been...