Hundreds of Chai Lifeline kids and counselors had a rousing weekend of pure joy at simultaneous Friends ‘n Fun weekends in Kew Gardens and Woodmere.

Friends ‘n Fun weekends pair Chai Lifeline children and their counselors with host communities across the United States. The weekends enable seriously ill children, and often their siblings, to renew friendships and gain strength from peers and counselors. Host communities are able to see how their donations to Chai Lifeline change lives and participate in the process.

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“Friends ‘n Fun has become one of our most important programs,” stated Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Chai Lifeline’s executive vice president. “Our children love being able to travel to new communities, and our hosts feel energized by the weekends.”

To Chai Lifeline volunteers extraordinaire Eli and Chedvah Rowe, Friends ‘n Fun weekends are among the high points of their year. They welcomed two hundred boys and counselors to Kew Gardens. From the warm jackets, complete with logos, given to each child as he arrived to the electric guitars they received when they left for home, the Rowes ensured that every detail was perfect.

The boys had little time to be settled in their hosts’ homes before the fun really began. The Young Israel of Queens Valley community went all-out to make Shabbos truly special. After davening, children’s eyes lit up as the group entered a heated tent/jungle ruled by an enormous lion. It was like being back in Camp Simcha, where every day was filled with imagination and wonder. Community members who joined the group for a wonderful Oneg Shabbos were transported into the world of Camp Simcha. Encouraged (and aided) by their counselors, the boys sang in between divrei Torah several had prepared. Illness receded into the background as voices rose into the night.

The exuberant spirit that continued throughout the day multiplied as Shabbos ended and an amazing melava malka began. Scores of guests from the community joined the boys and their counselors. The walls of the tent seemed to vibrate with the music of Lipa Schmeltzer and Yaakov Schwecky. Circles of dancing children and counselors formed around the boys in wheelchairs. Smaller campers jumped on counselor’s shoulders. Wheelchairs were lifted up as the boys cheered.

“Life is hard for many of these children,” a counselor explained to a guest. “It’s not so easy for them to get away for Shabbos. The fun they have during weekends like this keeps them going. At home, there’s much that they can’t do because they’re sick. Here, they are in the center of the action.”

Girls find hope, friendship in Woodmere

Frigid weather could not dampen the energy of 50 Chai Lifeline girls and their campers who came to Woodmere for a Friends ‘n Fun weekend adventure designed just for them.

“It was just such a warm, welcoming environment,” said Zahava Farbman, who hosted the weekend with her husband, Seth, and their children. On Shabbos night, the inspiring words of Charlie Harary, senior lecturer for the Orthodox Union and Aish.com, filled the minds and spirits of the girls, their counselors, and the many Woodmere-area women and girls who joined them. His message, that inspiration sometimes comes during dark moments, resonated with girls who are fighting hard battles against illness.

The temperature outside continued to drop, but the girls hardly noticed. They spent Shabbos catching up with old friends and making new ones. They listened to a young woman who had survived a lung transplant that cured her cystic fibrosis and then cancer, and felt their hopes for their own lives soar. Ruchie Frei, a cancer survivor and former Camp Simcha counselor, now married with children, energized the group during Seudah Shlishis with her story. As she spoke, the girls could feel the possibilities for their own lives.

No Chai Lifeline event is complete without a rousing motzei Shabbos event, and this Friends ‘n Fun weekend was no exception. The girls of Tichon Meir Moshe High School organized a lively Winter Wonderland carnival, complete with games, attractions, and of course, carnival delicacies. Yisroel Wulliger’s amazing music brought more simcha to an already unforgettable weekend.

Too soon, it was time for the boys in Queens and the girls in Woodmere to head home. They were tired with the type of exhaustion that comes from having too much fun to slow down. As she hugged Mrs. Farbman and thanked her for an incredible weekend, one teen admitted that she had not wanted to come.

“I had chemo on Wednesday,” she said. “It totally knocked me out. I had no interest in coming, but my mother really wanted me to come. Now I feel so alive and invigorated. I can’t believe I almost didn’t come.”

Eli is a paramedic who donates his time to work at Camp Simcha every summer and a licensed pilot who frequently transports children and parents to medical appointments in other areas. Both Eli and Chedvah are volunteer drivers for the organization’s transportation assistance program, which provides free, comfortable rides to medical appointments.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC / Photos by: Benjamin S. Photography)