Mission
Committed to inclusion for all, Friendship Circle of Washington leverages the positive impact of friendship, understanding, and shared experience to transform the lives of children and teens with special needs and typically developing teens. We help create friendships that make a difference today and last a lifetime. We empower children and teens with special needs, helping them develop the skills they need to live as productive and independent adult life as possible. We empower our teen volunteers, helping them develop the confidence, self-esteem, and skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow. We nurture community, working to ensure that inclusion and diversity are the norm, not the exception and that every individual has the opportunity to participate and succeed.
Vision
We envision a world in which people with special needs and their families experience acceptance and friendship as contributing members of society. We foresee a future where they never again have to experience social isolation or unequal treatment.
The Friendship Circle’s unique brand of social integration therapy simultaneously provides special needs families with the therapeutic and social support they need and promotes equal recognition for special needs individuals within our community. Our teens learn the importance of community involvement, the inherent value in individuals of all abilities, and develop the sensitivity and social skills necessary to be tomorrow’s leaders. This interaction also instills in our teens a responsibility for embracing special needs individuals on a personal level, and advocating for them on a societal level.
