Changing the world, one friendship at a time.

Our Mission

The Friendship Foundation empowers youth and adults with disabilities to build lasting friendships, achieve independence, and lead purposeful lives through community-based social, arts, educational, and vocational programs—while also training peer volunteers in leadership, civic responsibility, and meaningful engagement with neurodiverse communities.

Our Vision & Values

To transform the lives of people with disabilities, their families, volunteers, and eventually society.

We create a welcoming atmosphere where everyone can thrive through engaging activities like sports, art, music, and a variety of social programs – all designed to foster connection and camaraderie among peers. Our dedicated staff and enthusiastic volunteers ensure that every program is a celebration of inclusion and friendship.

The Friendship Foundation enhances local educational initiatives by providing a supportive setting for individuals with disabilities to explore and apply their skills in real-world interactions. By participating in our programs people learn, thrive and grow together, building a foundation of support that extends beyond our events and creates community.

Our History

Established in 2007, the Friendship Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide socially integrated programs to empower individuals with disabilities to build friendships, independence, and community. What started out with 8 youth participants and 22 teen volunteers meeting monthly in Manhattan Beach, has grown into 60 monthly programs and over 80 school clubs across the South Bay and beyond. Today, the Foundation offers year round social and recreational programs five days a week, serving over 5,000 participants and volunteers annually. For the past nineteen years, the Friendship Foundation has championed the belief that inclusive environments foster mutual benefits for individuals with disabilities and the volunteers who provide collaboration and support. The success and growing demand from the Foundation’s existing programs have expanded the vision to include an innovative campus centered around transforming lives, the workforce, and society.

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Year History

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Programs & Activities

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Friendship School Clubs

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Students Involved

MEET OUR TEAM

Yossi Mintz

Executive Director/ President

Daniel Stump

Chief Program Officer

Anne Morse

Managing Director

Michelle Manzano

Director of School Clubs

Sarah Esparza

Director of Programs

Dené Slaton

School Clubs Manager

Erika Bacon

School Clubs and Program Coordinator

Lili Sherrell

Program & Volunteer Logistics Coordinator

Lenay Newell

Program Manager

Nick Hayes-Yamamoto

Programs & Partnerships Coordinator

Sara Katz

Administrative Coordinator

Kira Alcomindras

Director of Operations & Marketing

Recreation Leaders

Joei Duran
Sylvia Martinez
Michelle Sotero
Hannah Sosa
Ben Chabner

Digital Content and Media Coordinator

Dylan Wyse

Our Ambassadors

Jacob Dominguez
Erin Pawlowski
Drake Baxter
Sean Lynch
Dylan Wyse

Erin Palowski

Erin has been with Friendship Foundation since our first program and brings a positive and friendly energy to every event she attends. She has become a great ambassador for our organization.

Jacob Dominguez

Jacob loves going to beach camp and bowling! He is one of the original 8 members over 15+ years ago, and is friendly with everyone he meets. He helps us in the office doing tasks such as shredding paper.

Board of Directors

Yossi Mintz
Founder/President

Adam Carroll
Founder of New Age Electronics

Portia Cohen
Strategic Market Liaison for the
Chief Strategy Officer, UCLA Health

Yosef Gorowitz
Founder and President of Prodége

Chase Greenberg
Brand Strategist at Skechers

Jerry Katz
Attorney

Mike Kaplan
Chairman of Lakeshore Learning

John Pollitt
Owner of Pollitt Law Inc.

Edward Kaminsky
Owner of Kaminsky Realty Group

Advisory Board Members

Josh Carroll
Financial Planning Consultant

Tom Nguyen
Wealth Advisor at EP Wealth Advisor

Colyar Pridgen
Financial Planning Consultant at Capital Group

Alyse Zwickel
Parent of Special Needs Child, former Director of Development for the Friendship Foundation

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