North Woodmere resident pursues twin passions

This summer North Woodmere resident, Aaron Neufeld, a graduate of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway, will be biking 3,279 miles from California to New York as part of the Bike 4 Friendship ride in sponsorship of Friendship Circle International.

Nine riders will participate in the entire ride from July 1 to Aug. 17, but will be joined by hundreds more in each city they pass through. Some supporters will join the ride for days, and others for a few weeks of the seven that the ride will take to complete. The second annual Bike 4 Friendship ride will pass through national and state parks, Indian reservations, small towns, big cities, deserts, and the Rocky Mountains.

Neufeld is the only cross-country rider from New York. “When I heard about Bike 4 Friendship, I immediately cancelled my prior summer plans, he said. “With school ending, and the rest of my life ahead of me, there is nothing I’d rather be doing than this. I get to do what I love, and do it for a truly amazing cause. I get to simultaneously pursue two of my passions: helping others and biking.”

The Friendship Circle is a non-profit organization, founded in 1994, that assists children with special needs and their families by pairing them with teenage volunteers. The volunteers involve the children in a range of social and Judaic experiences, and ignite friendships. Neufeld’s ride will also benefit the Jean Fishman Chabad Center of the Five Towns’ Friendship Circle, one of the 82 branches established since 1994.

“In middle school, I always befriended the special needs children who were integrated into our classes,” Neufeld said, in explaining his motivation for going on the bike ride. “During high school, I formed closer relationships with some of these teens and we would go our for lunch together. On weekends, I would spend my time volunteering with children who have special needs.”

This year’s ride has drawn bikers from a variety of different backgrounds, from experts to amateurs, but all share a passion for helping children with special needs.

“When a cross-country bike trek was suggested, I loved the concept right away. I really thought it was a great way to illustrate what Friendship Circle was all about,” said Mendel Groner, the coordinator of Bike 4 Friendship. “Similar to long haul cycling, the Friendship Circle is about breaking boundaries, breaking limitations. These cyclists are doing something amazing when they bike cross-country. We want to broadcast to the world that children with special needs to amazing things every day just by living life to the fullest.”

Each of the nine Bike 4 Friends cross-country riders is dedicated to raising $5,000 for the Friendship Circle. To support Neufeld you can donate and follow the progress of his journey on www.Bike4Friendship.org/aneufeld

To join the Friendship Circle as a volunteer, family, or supporter or for dedication opportunities call Batsheva Borenstein at (516) 295-2478x13 or visit www.fctowns.com.