Bicycling across the U.S. for Friendship Circle

Combining his passions for helping special-needs children and biking, Woodmere resident Yair Sternman, 17, will be cycling from San Diego to New York over the course of six weeks this summer, as part of the Friendship Circle’s Bike 4 Friendship ride, to support Friendship Circle, an international nonprofit that provides programs and support to the families of individuals with special needs.

More than 10 riders will each bike for 3,100 miles from July 17 through Aug. 28 as part of the cross-country tour, and several hundred others will join them in each city across the route, raising awareness for Friendship Circle, which was founded in 1994.

The cross-country ride means a lot to Sternman, who will be graduating from Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) Yeshiva High School for Boys in Woodmere this month, before heading off to study in Yeshivat Shaalavim in Israel for a year.
Sternman has been a Friendship Circle volunteer throughout his high school years, visiting children with special needs in the community each week.

“As one who has been a volunteer in the past, I have seen firsthand the positive impact such programming has on special-needs children and their families — the smiles on the participants’ faces and the joy that families feel when they see their children bond with a volunteer who truly relishes and accepts them,” said Sternman, whose sister, Esther, benefits from programs run by the organization.

“Yet, as much as the children benefit, the volunteers gain an invaluable lesson of the true giving of themselves and of the importance of including those with special needs in the community,” he added.

The volunteers involve the children in a range of social and Judaic experiences, and foster friendships. Sternman’s ride will also benefit the Jean Fishman Chabad Center of the Five Towns’ Friendship Circle, one of the 79 branches established in the past 22 years.

An avid biker, Sternman is well prepared to cycle across the country.  “I have always loved biking since the age of five and it’s a dream come true to be able to spend a summer doing what I love,” said Sternman, who has been training for the tour for months. The route is arduous and requires stamina and endurance, as riders are expected to cycle nearly 100 miles per day. “When my legs aren't burning, I enjoy the cycling,” Sternman added.

He was introduced to the Bike 4 Friendship tour by his friend, Yaakov Hawk, 21, who participated three summers ago after graduating from DRS. “You gain a lot of physical endurance and push yourself and your body to the limit. You also get to spread the message of the Friendship Circle and help publicize the work they do across the country,” Hawk said.

Fostering a sense of companionship and community is the mission of the Friendship Circle, according to Mendel Groner, the director of special projects for the organization. “The biking adventure is more than just a platform for awareness.  The trek is an opportunity to unite Friendship Circle communities — nearly 80 — across the United States. Participants have in the past flown in from all across the U.S., Israel, the U.K. and even Australia, he said. “The trip has been a real draw for people. They have undertaken this incredible physical endeavor in order to make a difference in lives of special needs kids.”

To help Sternman reach his fundraising goal of $4,500, go to bike4friendship.org/yairsternman.