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Friendship Circle's ninth fundraising walk draws a record crowd.

N

ow in its ninth year, Friendship
Circle's Walk4Friendship drew
6,000 participants, its largest
crowd ever. And the nonprofit organiza-
tion that serves special needs children
and young adults came very close to
reaching its $60,000 goal from the event.
Activities at the Sept. 7 event, which
started at Friendship Circle and ended

at the nearby Jewish Community Center,
both in West Bloomfield, included an
early morning run, a walk, a performance
by Champions Forever (featured on
America's Got Talent), face painting, kids
crafts led by Home Depot volunteers,
a petting zoo, pony rides, inflatable zip
line, a tfillin booth and lunch.
Former WDIV-TV news anchor Diana

Walk4Friendship participants leave
Friendship Circle and head toward the JCC.

Lewis shared emcee honors with Charlie
Langton of WWJ Newsradio 950. Many
local politicians, including Gary Peters,
Andy Meisner and Michelle Economou
Ereste, also participated.
"This was our biggest walk ever," said
Levi Shemtov, Friendship Circle co-found-
er and director. "The money we raise pays
for a third of our budget. But, more impor-

tantly, it brings together the Friendship
Circle community. Hundreds of people
who are touched by the Friendship Circle
work very hard to raise money from their
friends and family and, on this day, we all
come together to celebrate, to get energy
from each other and to realize we are part
of a huge community made up of people
who share a common interest."

❑

F•

DO 'w
AMAZING
THINGS

DO
.
WIAZING
THINGS

'

Friendship Circle magnet man with Cary Heller of West Bloomfield and
Malcolm Wang of Novi

Volunteers serve lunch to participants.

Friendship Circle director and
co-founder Bassie Shemtov with
emcee Diana Lewis in the background

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September 11 • 2014

Devin Warren, Jenna Klar, Aidan Warren, Hayden
Freed and Abbey Weitzman

Ella Lewis works on a project with Carol Kushner

Megan Rosenbaum and her daughter
Ariana Lorber

Sarah Goodman is happy to get her face painted.

The Egrin family: (front) Adam Egrin, Noah Rubin, Maggie Egrin, Drew Lash and Rikki Newman; (back) Harvey Yates, Gail
Cohen, Stuart Egrin, Carol Egrin, Adam Rubin, Matt Egrin, Kailey Egrin, Phyllis Yates, Joe Lash, David Newman, Sydney
Newman, David Gumenick, Jaime Trepeck, Claire Steinbock.