LifeTown volunteers honored at celebration
On May 29, teen and adult volunteers were treated to a celebration recognizing their contributions to Friendship Circle. A dedicated team of over 1,500 volunteers work at LifeTown.
Volunteers help run daily programs to ensure that more than 10,000 school children experienced hands-on learning, socializing, and fun at the LifeTown Shoppes. This year, volunteers guided more than 35,000 visitors through LifeTown’s doors. The Livingston center’s innovative programming makes a profound difference every day.
To kick off the evening, Rabbi Levi Grossbaum told the volunteers to turn on the LED bracelets each received when they arrived. The room was illuminated in multicolor light — a dazzling display marking each volunteer’s unique contributions.
“You light up LifeTown, but you really light up the community,” Rabbi Grossbaum said. “Not with bracelets but with love and pure joy, week after week. You show up with patience, with heart, and with a willingness to give. You made someone feel like they belong.”
Motivational speaker and life coach Scott Chesney told his story to the audience of more than 350 people. He has lived with paralysis after enduring a sudden spinal stroke at the age of 15.
“I wish I could bottle Friendship Circle and LifeTown and give you to the rest of the world,” Mr. Chesney said. “It’s a powerful force that’s here, and it’s because of all of you. Everyone in this room is an experience maker. I love the momentum you’ve created. I want every volunteer to understand just how powerful their efforts are.”
The audience also heard speeches from teen volunteers about the impact their service has had on their own lives.
“It’s more than just showing up,” teen volunteer Eden Lebovitch said. Her role at LifeTown laid the groundwork for her chosen career path, neuroscience. “It’s creating meaningful bonds in a place where you’re not only helping people but you’re creating memories. It shaped me as a person and my path in life.”
The night concluded with an awards presentation and a raffle for a variety of gift baskets.
“There’s an energy watching the friendships that have been created in the streets of LifeTown,” sad Friendship Circle and LifeTown CEO Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum said. “It’s something so beautiful. Everyone always asks, ‘What’s the secret to the magic at LifeTown?’ The truth is, it’s not magic at all. It’s the heart. It’s the commitment. It’s all of you.”
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