OHEL Bais Ezra’s Sibshops program is known to be exciting, but its end-of-year events took fun to a whole new level!
Amongst the end of year celebrations, girls ages 6-11 were treated to a pizza party and pottery painting at Pottery and Glass Land in Brooklyn and Owl Art in Cedarhurst. Each girl infused her pottery piece with her unique style and personality, while bonding with other siblings of individuals with special needs. It was a beautiful culmination of a very memorable year of Sibshops. One mom reported that her daughter “had an incredible time, and felt so special”, which is a sentiment shared by all the participants of OHEL’s Sibshops.
Another end-of-year celebration included boys from Far Rockaway and Brooklyn coming together for a fun-filled and delicious backyard barbecue! Activities included soda bottle bowling, a building competition using marshmallows and spaghetti, and balloon-popping using sunlight through a magnifying glass. The Sibshops members along with the facilitators all had a blast.
The teen girls from Sibshops enjoyed their own outdoor celebration, with an afternoon paddleboating on a beautiful saltwater marsh, followed by a picnic in the park. There was a special air of camaraderie and a sense of belonging as the four paddleboats filled with Sibshops teens linked and paddled together. Although the teens all attended different schools and came from various communities, OHEL’s Sibshops has helped them form a unique and profound bond.
Sibshops is fortunate to have extremely dedicated, warm, and caring volunteer facilitators, and so the final event of the season was a Facilitator Appreciation Dinner. A night was dedicated in their honor, to express appreciation for their enthusiastic devotion to the siblings. The theme of the evening was “Whatever the weather, Sibshops facilitators shine.” Umbrellas emblazoned with the OHEL logo were given to each facilitator, and the room was decorated with umbrellas of varied size and color. A delectable dinner was served, Sibshops activity ideas were exchanged, and words of thanks were spoken by Chayale Greenwald, OHEL’s Sibshops coordinator. There was also a riveting game of “Minute to Win it”, where the staff bonded by competing in wacky and silly challenges!
The next season of sibshops will begin in the fall with groups presently forming in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, and Staten Island. For more information about sibshops, or to register a child or volunteer to become a facilitator, please contact Chayale Greenwald at sib[email protected] or 718-686-3491
