The Friendship Circle Volunteer Club provides assistance to families with special needs children, and simultaneously “helps the helper” — empowering its teenage volunteers to build their own moral character and to grow through their mitzva-volunteering.

Every week, pairs of teenage volunteers visit participating children at their homes, offering friendship and interactive play. This program allows teenage friends to bond with their special friends, while affording parents of children with special needs a much needed respite. At holiday events the volunteers work one-on-one with the children to cater the event to their particular needs.

The Volunteer Network (TVN) promotes volunteerism by matching hundreds of adults and teens each year with volunteer opportunities throughout Essex, Morris, and Union counties. Our website houses a user-friendly database of volunteer jobs that is updated weekly. Simply type in the criteria for your ideal volunteer job, and our search engine will return a list of opportunities to explore. If you want to volunteer within NCJW, our parent organization, TVN can help you with that as well. TVN is helpful as a resource for young teens searching for mitzva projects, as well as older teens who are seeking volunteer positions. TVN also sponsors the Eskow Awards, an annual scholarship award for several high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism. The NCJW Volunteer Network is operated by the National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County Section.