Metro

L

Volunteer Iry Baker and a student in
Friendship Circle's Weinberg Village

Your Vote

Winning $1 million will help
allow expansion of Weinberg

Village to include more
storefronts (coffee shop,

copy center, pizza store and
more) that will serve as tar-

geted job training sites for
adults with special needs.

Lauren Todaro
Special to the Jewish News

Counts!

Friendship Circle steps up its efforts
in race to earn $1 million.

a massive social-networking campaign on
behalf of Friendship Circle. One of many
online initiatives is to break the world's
re-tweet record. That means Friendship
Circle will challenge the 18 million world-
wide tweeters to repost their message of
"U can help break the RT world record &
help families in need. http://VoteFC.com
#VoteFC #RTWR Pls RT." But how does
one reach 18 million users?
"The only way we can truly succeed is
to harness our personal relationships and
call in favors of support from high-profile
users;' she said. "If you don't have personal
relationships, it will be very difficult to
succeed. And FC is fortunate enough to

have thousands of dedicated supporters in
the real world that are volunteering to join
our campaign online."
n today's digital world, social-net-
In addition to Twitter, Friendship Circle
working has become a cost-free,
also is launching a Facebook campaign
unmatched force in marketing.
calling on their supporters to change their
This week, Friendship Circle of
individual profile pictures to a VoteFC.
Michigan, a nonprofit organization dedi-
com graphic — then thousands of active
cated to children with special needs, will
Facebook users can spread the message by
harness that power of social-networking
using one, unifying badge of support.
to vie for $1 million. JP Morgan Chase is
"Our goal is to have our thousands of
sponsoring the Chase Community Giving
supporters team up with the same profile
Challenge, a Facebook-based vote-a-thon
picture Shemtov said. "Then, we hope
running from Jan. 15-22.
thousands more will see this outstanding
Using its social-networking know-how,
demonstration of support and join us in
Friendship Circle must accumulate the
voting."
most online votes out of 99
Outside of the digital world,
other charities to win that
Friendship Circle will be creat-
coveted $1 million grant. An
ing a crowd-stopping demon-
affiliate of Chabad Lubavitch,
stration at the Jan. 16 Pistons
Friendship Circle is the only
vs. Knicks basketball game at
Jewish charity in the contest.
The Palace in Auburn Hills. In
For being in the top 100, they
an effort to create both local
already won $25,000.
awareness and a viral video,
"We are tweeting, friending,
they will be conducting a "freeze
messaging, updating our sta-
campaign" — 200 volunteers
tus, changing our profile pics,
blend into the crowd at the
e-mailing and blogging," said
same moment, then freeze.
Bassie Shemtov, Friendship
With onlookers watching, the
Circle director. "Believe it or
200 volunteers will unfreeze
not, we are even using paper
after a few minutes and reveal
posters and flyers!"
their unified VoteFC.com shirts.
A committee of staff and
(Go to VoteFC.com to vote for
supporters from around the
Volunteer Amy Schram and student in the Weinberg Village
Friendship Circle.)
country have teamed to create beauty shop
If chosen in the Chase

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16

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Community Giving Challenge, Friendship
Circle pledges to expand its Weinberg
Village. This village is a true-to-life
cityscape where children and students
from across Metro Detroit learn critical
life skills in a safe, nonjudgmental envi-
ronment. This expansion will double the
size of the cityscape, allowing Friendship
Circle to serve twice as many children.
The grant also will go toward develop-
ing a professional training program for
volunteers. Through this training, 800 vol-
unteers will experience higher education
about various forms of special needs and
learn community advocacy tools.
"It is great that Friendship Circle has
a chance for the $1,000,000," said Scott
Kaufman, CEO of the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit. "It is a wonderful
organization and Levi and Bassie are great
community partners. I know the whole
community is really rooting for them."
Bassie Shemtov said, "In Round 1, we
were chosen out of 500,000 charities for
this chance at $1 million. Helping kids
with special needs is something that
reaches far beyond Michigan and the U.S.
"We want everyone, from every part of
the world to see our message and vote.
Because at the end of the day, when the
computer shuts off ... it's these kids that
win. That has been our mission for 14
years and it motivates us every day."

Related editorial opinion: page 22.

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