SHEKEL fund-raiser to provide fun for a good cause

SHEKEL (Community Services for People with Special Needs), an organization that gives people with disabilities the chance to be a vital and integral part of Israeli society, is holding its annual fund-raiser on November 20 at the Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv. The evening event will feature a performance by the band Hakol Over Habibi, and will be hosted by author and special-needs activist Lihi Lapid. Famed for its leadership in creating inclusion for people with disabilities within the wider community, SHEKEL is committed to creating equality of opportunity for people with disabilities in all areas of life. To achieve this, SHEKEL has developed a wide range of community-based services, including “Living in the Community” housing, vocational rehabilitation, enrichment and leisure activities that serve 8,000 people with cognitive, developmental, physical and mental disabilities. With its headquarters based in Jerusalem, SHEKEL's 550 employees and 700 volunteers work with people with special needs from every sector of Israeli society: Jews and Arabs, religious and secular. “Contrary to popular belief, people with disabilities are not a 'weak sector,' insists Clara Feldman, the CEO who has led SHEKEL's initiatives and developments for the last 25 years. “When offered community-based services that are adapted to their personal abilities, skills and needs, a person with cognitive disabilities can grow, thrive and succeed as a vital contributing member of Israeli society. Like anyone else, in order to succeed, a person with intellectual disabilities requires challenging meaningful work, a vibrant home and social life, outside interests, hobbies and stimulation. Here at SHEKEL, we work to create frameworks that allow each person the opportunity to realize their personal potential, and live full lives with independence and meaning.” SHEKEL recently developed an innovative new social enterprise strategy. It has made space in its vocational rehabilitation centers in Jerusalem and the Modi'in area for small businesses, where people with and without disabilities work together. This strategy has been developed with a view to building an inclusive business community. “Many of the people we serve are successfully placed and given support in Jerusalem's private-sector workforce,” says Feldman, “but our social enterprise ventures represent a new highly innovative step towards sustainable inclusion. We believe this is also an effective way to help change existing attitudes of the business community and the general public toward people with disabilities.” One of SHEKEL's most visible ventures in this area is Bistro Harutzim, a cafe at the SHEKEL headquarters at 11 Yad Harutzim Street in Talpiot. Here, two-thirds of the staff have special needs. Trained professionally, they receive hands-on experience in all areas of restaurant work, including food preparation, serving, maintenance, etc. Some then stay on as employees at the bistro, while others move on to employment in local eateries. “This bistro also serves to educate the public toward the understanding that people with disabilities can make great service providers, and work successfully in areas where they come in direct contact with the public.” The cafe features a varied menu, which includes pasta, salads, pizza and pastries, and is kosher lemehadrin. The same principles hold true for SHEKEL's gift shop, adjacent to the cafe, where all kinds of crafts and artwork manufactured at SHEKEL are sold. Among SHEKEL's most recent ventures is a newly opened second-hand shop, which was opened in partnership with Metzion on 39 Pierre Koenig Street. It is in fact the largest second-hand store in Israel. SHEKEL's unique graphic design studio also employs and trains people with and without disabilities and offers graphic design and branding services to local businesses and individuals in Jerusalem and the rest of the country. Vocational education and enrichment are key components of SHEKEL's activities. SHEKEL College offers dozens of courses including arts, music, sports, computers, a film club and much more. According to Feldman, “Cultural inclusion is a major key to community inclusion,” and SHEKEL is proud of its Channels to the Community program. This includes a popular video-making course, the results of which have been shown on Community TV. The program also includes a theater troupe in which actors from SHEKEL perform alongside actors from the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio. Another example is the joint Dialogue through Art project, where SHEKEL artists partner with artists from Bezalel, Israel's premier art academy. SHEKEL also runs an afternoon program in schools for children with severe multiple disabilities. By providing the care these children and young people need in the afternoons, they are able to learn in day schools while being raised by loving families at home. Without this program, many of these children would be forced to grow up in hospitals or institutions. “All these programs are critical to the daily lives of people with disabilities,” says Feldman, while explaining that the programs themselves are dependent on funding. “Funding from the public is essential to the success of our work. It's all about partnership, between a caring community and those who can, if given the chance, become a vibrant part of that community.” The overarching goal of all SHEKEL's programs is to make people with special needs a central part of Israeli life, and to change attitudes toward people with disabilities. “We're already beginning to see a change in the way people perceive those with special needs, and we think it's just the beginning,” says Feldman. For more information about the fund-raiser and to buy tickets to the event: www.shekel.org.il/en, (02) 672-7605 or 050-623-2155

SHEKEL fund-raiser to provide fun for a good cause

The organization aims to create equality of opportunity for people with disabilities in all areas of life.

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SHEKEL fund-raiser to provide fun for a good cause

The organization aims to create equality of opportunity for people with disabilities in all areas of life.

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