A North Texas woman changing lives by bringing people together through a friendship circle. She's this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
Leah Dubrawsky says growing up around kids with disabilities was life changing.
She went to school in Pittsburgh at an inclusive school that intermingled students with and without special needs. It was an eye-opener for Leah.
"Having kids in my class like that really affected me and made me realize how lucky I was," Leah said.
In hopes of fostering empathy and inclusivity, Leah launched the Dallas chapter of a nonprofit called Friendship Circle.
"Friendship Circle is a national nonprofit. There are close to 80 of them in the country and our goal is to bridge the gap between people with disabilities and people without. Our goal is really to help integrate people with disabilities into the greater community by doing programs and activities that are engaging and interactive regardless of the limitations you may have," Leah said.
The program brings kids, teens and families with and without disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, and down syndrome together to create community and foster friendships.
"We do drop-offs. This is a really good way for parents to get a bit of a break by having their kids in a very loving and safe environment. We offer camps. We also offer a time where parents can drop of their kids at night and get some time out at a restaurant without their kids, so really trying to offer a break for some parents. We do support groups and some different activities that are geared more toward older teens and young adults," Leah said.
Like it was for her, she says the program is transformational.
She has seen teens who were not very empathic transform into kinder people by spending time with kids in the program.
We're proud to call Leah Dubrasky and Friendship Circle this week's KRLD Difference Makers.
"When they [the kids] are surrounded by happiness and children being kind, I see how much it can impact a parents life just to see that," Leah said.
Friendship Circle Dallas is raising money at their Walk 4 Friendship Dallas on June 4th.
To help, join or support visit Friendship Circle Dallas.
If you know someone who makes a difference in the community, send us an email at differencemaker@krld.com.
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