Community Inclusion Award of Excellence

This award recognizes an outstanding volunteer within Toronto’s Jewish community whose exceptional efforts have resulted in a more inclusive Jewish community for people with special needs. The award has been designed to bring the importance of physical and social inclusion to the attention of the entire Jewish community. The aim is to honour and recognize an outstanding individual who has embraced inclusion and had an impact on the lives of people with special needs.

Gill Lefkowitz & Benjamin Clement

Gill Lefkowitz is an elementary public-school teacher with a passion for Early Literacy. Benjamin Clement is a theatre nut, a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and is an aspiring arts educator. He works part time as an usher at a local movie theatre as well as at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Gill and Ben along with Gary Clement founded Everyday Friends in 2011. Everyday Friends is a social network founded to fill a gap in the social lives of young adults with developmental disabilities. EF provides a once a month opportunity to participate in events in the community, facilitated by committed, long-time mentors. No parents allowed! Since 2015, Everyday Friends has expanded to offer 2 additional evening programs each month at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.

“We are grateful to be receiving this award and our hope is that it will inspire others to facilitate authentic social opportunities for all individuals in the community.”