The $18 million LifeTown center will celebrate its grand opening and dedication ceremony in Livingtson, N.J. on Monday, Sept. 9. A project of Friendship Circle of New Jersey, the center is built on the foundation of young people in the community volunteering to assist children with special needs, like Eitan Shua and Kyle Fink above. (Photo: Mendel Grossbaum)
It Takes a LifeTown: N.J. Project, a Model for Inclusive Community-Building
On the morning that the 53,000 square foot LifeTown center first opened its doors in Livingston, N.J., in December 2018, Jason Campbell, its therapy director, found himself in the complex’s manicured indoor park. He watched as a dozen or so children with special needs played together with their volunteer teen buddies. “This is the best therapy,” he observed. “It is even better because there are no therapists working with the kids. It’s just real life.”
