Volunteerism is what makes the Friendship Circle go round. When Digitas, a global marketing and technology agency, chose to devote their employee volunteer day to our cause, we were thrilled. On June 5th, we welcomed 40 Digitas employees to Friendship Circle and with them came enthusiasm, excitement, and a desire to assist our mission in a very special way.

A group shot of Digitas Staff excited about getting their hands dirty.
With the completion of the Farber Soul Center on track for later this year, Friendship Circle customized a unique volunteer experience for this group of creative minds.

Friendship Circle volunteer Bonnie Laker Winkler shares how much the experience of giving back means to her.
One of numerous impressive aspects of the Soul Center is the Soul Cafe. The Cafe will have a clean, industrial look to it and a dining area made up of 10 cafe tables. What better way for Digitas to leave their artistic mark than through developing and executing 10 modern designs for our table tops, painted alongside our Soul Center artists!
The day began with a tour of Lifetown- the afterschool program rooms, gymnasium, and Weinberg Village. Volunteers had an idea of what they were stepping into that day, but like many things in life, you can only describe the wonder of Friendship Circle so well. To see it is to believe it.

Bassie Shemtov leads a tour through Lifetown. Here she walks Digitas employees through the art room.
After the tour, Digitas volunteers joined our Soul Center artists and staff in our multipurpose room for the Cafe art project. With the help of stencils created on our very own laser cutter, the volunteers and artists combined their talents to bring the table top designs to life.

Soul Center artist Casandra Thompson and Soul Center Operations Director Jordan Shifman design the layout for a Cafe table with Digitas volunteers.

Soul Center artist Sam Morris paints a table top alongside Digitas volunteers.
The end result was a collection of images that exceeded all expectations. Once the tops are coated and the bases are attached, the tables will serve as a fond memory of artistic collaboration. A beautiful first impression on the Farber Soul Center.

Digitas volunteers display their beautiful work!
The Friendship Circle thanks Digitas for their efforts, skills, and vision. We can’t wait to see the tables displayed in the finished facility.