Jack’s Bar Mitzvah

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Dear Family and Friends,

As we prepare to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah, I am excited to share my mitzvah project with you and hope you will find it as meaningful as I do.

I have chosen to support the LifeTown Bookstore in honor of my Uncle Josh.

My Grandma was a preschool teacher for many years at the “Y” in Wayne. After my Uncle Josh passed away, a library was established at the preschool in his memory. Over the years, the Josh Stein Library

 grew to include hundreds of books and brought tremendous joy to the students—and, of course, to my Grandma as well.

Sadly, the “Y” recently closed, and we needed to find a new home for all of the books. Immediately, my family thought of LifeTown, and I am so grateful that we did. All the Josh Stein books were donated there, and nothing would make me happier or prouder than to raise money to purchase even more books for a new generation of children to enjoy.

For those who may not be familiar with LifeTown, it is a unique and stunning 53,000-square-foot inclusive center, primarily serving individuals with special needs. It features a simulated town with shops—like a bookstore—businesses, and real-life settings where participants practice essential skills such as shopping, budgeting, and crossing streets in a supportive environment. Run by the Friendship Circle, LifeTown also includes a gym, pool, sensory rooms, art and dance studios, and therapeutic programs. It is truly a remarkable place where my Grandma now volunteers.

During a recent tour, we learned that the bookstore especially needs books for older children and teens with special needs. The store is lacking books that are age-appropriate and engaging. These children and their families are looking for stories with meaningful content, rich visuals, real photographs, graphic novel–style illustrations, or even comic books. These types of books help teens connect to stories without feeling that the content is too young for them.

There will be a donation bin outside the sanctuary during my service, and I kindly ask those attending to bring one or two new or gently used books. For anyone who is unable to attend or would prefer to make a monetary donation, you may do so using the link provided.

I will personally place the book orders and ensure their delivery to the LifeTown bookstore, as I too am joining as a volunteer. Also,  the funds I raise will be used to donate a bookshelf to the store, proudly bearing Uncle Josh’s name

Thank you so much for helping me make this mitzvah project truly special.

Jack

TEST1232

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Dear Family & Friends,

We are very excited and looking forward to our Bar Mitzvah celebration.

As far back as we can remember, Friendship Circle and LifeTown have always been a very important part of our life. We watched as the LifeTown center became a reality, offering myriad opportunities for recreation, education, and therapeutic play for individuals with special abilities and their families. LifeTown includes some incredible spaces,  featuring an indoor city, a zero-entry pool, gym, and so much more.

For our Bar Mitzvah we are raising money to donate 1 of the 3 lanes for the new fully-accessible Bowling Center! Bowling is one of the most favorite activities for the participants of all ages.

As part of this dedication, we are committed to raising $50,000, and our family will match every dollar donated in honor of our Bar Mitzvah. We hope everyone will join us in supporting our very ambitious & meaningful project.

Why the Bowling Center @ LifeTown?

Some of our earliest memories are of participating in Challah bakes, attending holiday programming and even going to summer camp at LifeTown!  We have been attending the annual FCwalk with our family since we were 2!  (Go team Simon Says….Walk!) So, it makes perfect sense that, in honor of our upcoming Bar Mitzvah, we would choose to do something super special for the place that has been such an integral part of our childhood.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with LifeTown, and the Friendship Circle, let us share with you. Friendship Circle is an inclusive organization that provides assistance, support, and programming to 20,000 individuals with special needs and their families.  They provide recreational, social, educational and vocational programming.  In addition to helping those in need, the Friendship Circle enriches all who volunteer there by enabling them to reap the rewards of selfless giving.

LifeTown is the 53,000 Sq Ft fully inclusive & accessible center which is the home to the Friendship Circle in our community. Please see the amazing Good Morning America feature story below.

We have experienced 1st hand how lifechanging it has been for both the participants and volunteers to have so many wonderful activities available within the walls of LifeTown.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Jonah & Spencer Simon

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LifeTown, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are fully tax-deductible.

1st Annual Turkey Bowl for Lifetown!

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1st Annual Girls Turkey Flag Football All Star Bowl

in support of LifeTown.

Hi everyone,

 

For my Bat Mitzvah project, I am sponsoring the inaugural All-Star Girls Flag Football game, the “Turkey Bowl,” in support of the Friendship Circle. The game will take place on the NFL-sponsored turf field at LifeTown.

 

The Friendship Circle is an organization that means a lot to me and my family. The work they do for our community is truly inspiring.

 

To raise funds, each player will not only learn about the Friendship Circle but will also be encouraged to make a donation. Additionally, I’m reaching out to friends and family to ask for your support. There are also many sponsorship opportunities available. We’re already in talks with the Giants, Jets, and GGG Flag Football, who will be supporting our event.

 

All donations will go toward LifeTown, specifically to fund its amazing sports programs.

 

Please consider making a donation in honor of my Bat Mitzvah project, and feel free to reach out if you’re interested in sponsoring this incredible event.

 

Thank you for your support,

Sarah Sheller

Abby’s Bat Mitzvah

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Stella’s Bat Mitzvah

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Dear Family and Friends,

 

The past months have been incredibly difficult for our brothers and sisters in Israel and for Jews everywhere. In the post 10/7 world, I’m particularly  moved by the idea that “we will dance again.” Dance has always been my passion and my personal outlet. It does so many different things for different people. It can improve motors skills, foster personal connections and develop self-confidence. It also gives people a way to express themselves when it can be tough to do with their words alone.

 

In honor of my becoming at Bat Mitzvah I want to enhance and finish building out the dance studio at LifeTown with various new features aimed to brining joy to children with special needs.  Ill also be spearheading a new dance program both at Friendship Circle in New Jersey and at friendship Circle in Jerusalem. 

 

The Jerusalem program will cater to Bat Mitzvah- age girls with special needs, as well as those who have been displaced since 10/7. For the children in israel it will offer a therapeutic outlet, allowing them to channel their emotions into positive energy through dance and music. We are planning to host  join live dance party here at LifeTown and in Jerusalem.  M hope is that this event will bring happiness and joy to many other Bat Mitzvah girls during these difficult times and reinforce the idea that  “ we will dance again” to girls who y sometimes feel doubtful. In lieu of gifts, please help me make this dream possible for the children of Friendship circle in both New jersey and Jerusalem. Please contribute generously at www.LIfeTown.com/stella

 

Looking forward to celebrating with you in June!

 

Love,

Stella

Jonah and Spencer’s Bar Mitzvah

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Dear Family & Friends,

We are very excited and looking forward to our Bar Mitzvah celebration.

As far back as we can remember, Friendship Circle and LifeTown have always been a very important part of our life. We watched as the LifeTown center became a reality, offering myriad opportunities for recreation, education, and therapeutic play for individuals with special abilities and their families. LifeTown includes some incredible spaces,  featuring an indoor city, a zero-entry pool, gym, and so much more.

For our Bar Mitzvah we are raising money to donate 1 of the 3 lanes for the new fully-accessible Bowling Center! Bowling is one of the most favorite activities for the participants of all ages.

As part of this dedication, we are committed to raising $50,000, and our family will match every dollar donated in honor of our Bar Mitzvah. We hope everyone will join us in supporting our very ambitious & meaningful project.

Why the Bowling Center @ LifeTown?

Some of our earliest memories are of participating in Challah bakes, attending holiday programming and even going to summer camp at LifeTown!  We have been attending the annual FCwalk with our family since we were 2!  (Go team Simon Says….Walk!) So, it makes perfect sense that, in honor of our upcoming Bar Mitzvah, we would choose to do something super special for the place that has been such an integral part of our childhood.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with LifeTown, and the Friendship Circle, let us share with you. Friendship Circle is an inclusive organization that provides assistance, support, and programming to 20,000 individuals with special needs and their families.  They provide recreational, social, educational and vocational programming.  In addition to helping those in need, the Friendship Circle enriches all who volunteer there by enabling them to reap the rewards of selfless giving.

LifeTown is the 53,000 Sq Ft fully inclusive & accessible center which is the home to the Friendship Circle in our community. Please see the amazing Good Morning America feature story below.

We have experienced 1st hand how lifechanging it has been for both the participants and volunteers to have so many wonderful activities available within the walls of LifeTown.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Jonah & Spencer Simon

LifeTown, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are fully tax-deductible.

Judah’s Mitzvah Project

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For my mitzvah project, I am raising money for new adaptive equipment for the Friendship Circle, in order to enhance the lives of children with multiple disabilities.

When I go to LifeTown to volunteer with my brother Sam, I have noticed that there are children and teens with different capabilities; I would like to make activities, like cooking and art projects, even more accessible for everyone, regardless of their physical limitations. My goal

 is to be able to purchase additional equipment for the Friendship Circle in order to ensure that every child is able to have the best experience every time they are there.

To learn more about LifeTown, please visit www.LifeTown.com

Thank you!
Judah

Mason’s Bar Mitzvah

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Dear Family and Friends,

The Friendship Circle has always been very important to my family and me. As far back as I can remember, we have spent time and raised money to support its amazing programs. LifeTown, the Friendship Circle’s state of the art facility, provides children with special needs practical and recreational skills so important for their future growth and development. While the Friendship Circle certainly makes the lives of kids with special needs and their families better, it also provides amazing opportunities for the entire community. I can tell you firsthand that it is really awesome to be at LifeTown and be a part of it all. So, it makes perfect sense that I recently found myself in the playground at LifeTown, thinking about what we could do to make it even better.

Basketball has always been my passion and an outlet for me. It seemed natural that my Mitzvah Project would combine two things so part of who I am. In honor of my becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I want to build an outdoor basketball court at LifeTown. I know, as well as anyone, how important it is to get your energy out through sports. Physical activity and learning to be a part of a team are very important life skills for every kid.   It helps improve motor skills, personal relationships, develops self-confidence, and teaches athletic and sportsmanship skills which are so important to kids with special needs.

In lieu of gifts, please help me make this happen for the kids of the Friendship Circle by accessing the link below.  Together we can make a difference.

Looking forward to celebrating with you in January!

Love,

Mason

 

Ryan’s Field

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On 10/24/2017 our family was honored to be a part of the the creation of the football field at LifeTown and the dedication by the Jets and the United Way.  The day was magical as we watched Ryan run around giggling and beaming as he got to “play football” for the first time.  Sadly, Ryan passed away before the building was completed.

Now, four years later, on 11/26/2021 we are proud to announce the official naming of the field.  It is with extreme pride and deep gratitude to Toba and Zalman Grossbaum and the entire team at LifeTown that we are finally able to host the official naming of Ryan’s Field.

In addition, we are excited to announce a new program called the Football Circle, which will take place that day on the field.  Our youngest son, Jake, decided as his Bar Mitzvah project that he wanted to coordinate a new and exciting program on Ryan’s Field called Football Circle.  For this special event, friends from LifeTown will be able to participate in a fun program of football drills, non-contact fun play and enjoy time alongside members of Livingston’s Football Team.

Please join us as we officially “name” Ryan’s field.

Please join us as a participant or volunteer for the Football Circle.

Please join us as a community and take a moment to celebrate all of our blessings in life.

Please consider supporting Ryan’s Field and the Football Circle so we can ensure programs like this, with appropriate equipment, can continue to bring joy and allow people to Do Happy for years to come.

Thank you so much for continuing to support our family, for helping celebrate Ryan and for being part of this beautiful community..

Barbara. Jeff, Zach, Jake, Corynne, Grant and Gilliann

The Warter-Sarrett Family

 

Jake’s Bar Mitzvah

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Hi.

My name is Jake Warter and I am a rising 8th grader at Heritage Middle School in Livingston, NJ.  In honor of my becoming a Bar Mitzvah and in celebration of my older brother Ryan Bennett Warter, I want to raise money to support outdoor sports programs on the field at Life Town.  I grew up being involved with Friendship Circle and Life Town.  As a young child, I used to hang alongside Ryan at programs and shadow my other brother Zach as he volunteered.  Now that I am old enough, I have been volunteering on my own.  I know how much this community meant to Ryan and means to my family and me.  With the support of Toba & Zalman Grossbaum, Ryan’s Field, the one place at Life Town that Ryan was able to experience joy and Do Happy, will be officially named in the Fall 2021.

For my mitzvah project, I  will be coordinating a new program on Ryan’s Field called Football Circle.  Similar to Soccer Circle, individuals at Life Town will be able to participate in a fun program of football drills, non-contact fun play and enjoy time alongside members of Livingston’s Football Team. My hope is this program is able to be offered yearly.

Thank you in advance for your donations and support.

Jake