Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council's $10,000 Donation to The Friendship Circle of Greater Fort Lauderdale Supports Learning Practices for Special-Needs Children

The Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council made a donation of $10,000 to the Friendship Circle of Greater Fort Lauderdale in support of special-needs children in South Florida, and was recently honored to see the impactful dollars in action.

The donation contributed to the Friendship Café Life Skills Training and Employment Program, an initiative to provide a safe, supervised environment for adults with developmental, learning, physical and intellectual disabilities, or other medical issues. This program is molded for individuals who need additional skills training before attempting to transition to competitive, community employment, and independent living. It encourages independence for participants to learn daily living, social, pre-employment, and self-advocacy skills through age and culturally appropriate activities.

"Our goal is to help working-age Americans with disabilities leverage their unique abilities to build meaningful careers. We believe that everyone has talent, and all people can make significant contributions in the workplace," shared Macey Markowitz, Senior Director of Development and Corporate Relations of Boys & Girls Club of Broward County. "With this gift, we were able to provide even more students with special needs a safe place to learn the skills they need to become productive members of society while developing meaningful relationships with staff and other students."

The Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council's Community Outreach program is one of five, devoted to strengthening relationships among the diverse communities of Broward County. Through numerous activities, the organization funds programs to enhance communication, trust, and public safety.

"Honoring our organization's mission, we strive to strengthen relationships among diverse communities of Broward County with initiatives that enrich the lives of our youth," shared Valerie Silverman, Chief of Staff for the Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council. "We were so proud to support a program that makes a difference in the lives of so many."