House on Wheels

Official site

Southern branch site

Walking in the nature, swimming in the sea, enjoying our friends, standing on our feet… these small little things that we take for granted are the biggest dreams that children from the "House on Wheels" would like to fulfill…

Agudat Shai is a voluntary program for physically disabled youngsters. It gives them the opportunity to have fun, make friends and relax. To do all the crazy things that other youngsters do as they grow up.
Beit-Hagalgalim (The House on Wheels) is the name given by the youngsters to their house. It is a place that rings with laughter, music and most of all - love.

Beginnings

Agudat Shai was founded in 1980 by the late Miriam Schwartz to combat the social isolation of physically handicapped youngsters. The idea was to set up a center of dedicated volunteers to provide a range of social and informal educational activities in the afternoon, weekends and during school vacations. The aim was twofold: to develop social skills and to nurture a feeling of independence, and to give the participant's caring families a well earned break.
Agudat Shai's activities are geared to the requirements of some 140 teenagers and young adults; most of them suffer from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other debilitating diseases. Over the years hundreds of disabled youngsters have participated in this unique program.

Volunteers

Over 120 students from different discipline volunteer regularly at Agudat Shai. Their diverse backgrounds create an accepting and encouraging atmosphere. The relationships that develop are based on care, involvement and ongoing friendship. The House on Wheels is no ordinary rehabilitation center - it is a home away from home.

Activities

Weekends and vacation are a time for intensive social interaction. The participants are divided in to six age groups. During the year each group meets once every six weekends, and during the summer each group enjoys a full week's vacation. Supervised by the volunteers in a one to one ratio, the youngsters themselves help prepare meals and take part in organizing activities. The success of these weekends derives from the opportunity to speak freely about mutual problems, the novelty of staying overnight with friends, of being made to feel part of a social group.

Workshops

Creativity and group experience make the workshops a source of enjoyment and satisfaction. The evening workshops include art, music, journalism, video, editing and drama - led by trained instructors. The courses are open to all age groups, which provides an opportunity for people of different groups to interact. "On the House" is Agudat Shai's own newspaper, published periodically, which is written and edited entirely by the news group members. Exhibitions and performances, showcase products of the other courses.

Ongoing Relationships

The young adults enter a new phase in their early twenties. The role of the participants changes form, to a "giver" rather than a "receiver". The adult group grows as the program matures and the graduates lead every aspect of the group's activities. Some of the graduates serve as instructors in younger groups, others work as secretaries of the project.

Working opportunities

Since 2000 we started a new venture for our young adults who went into their productive phase of life but suffer from discrimination due to their physical disadvantage. The aim of this project is to accompany, support and give the necessary recommendations to our young adults in order help them find appropriate jobs in the free market. If you are interested to open working opportunities for disabled young adults in Israel you may visit the placement project web site.

The Southern House on Wheels

The problem of social isolation and little recreation activities for handicapped children is more pronounced in the south of Israel. The problem is even accentuated in the Bedouin villages. In view of this, several former volunteers that moved to Beer-Sheva (The desert Capital of Israel) established in the autumn of 1999 a new branch that incorporates the principles of Agudat Shai by integrating volunteers and handicapped children of different social and cultural background. This new branch started going on regular weekends and since its beginning we already have four groups as for December 2004, each going for a weekend every four to five weeks. Beside the weekends we have summer camps with the kids for a week that are very popular. We also started afternoon workshops for handicapped children in Beer-Sheva during the year 2002. Recently we rented a house in kibbutz Ourim, 30km from Beer-Sheva and it will serve our regular activities as well as host groups from Shai foundation from different centers.
You can have a look at pictures from our first weekend. You can also download here a file describing the activity of the southern branch.

How can you be involved

While most of you will not be able to join us as volunteers, you can make it possible for volunteers and professional staff of Agudat Shai to reach more youngsters, to expand and intensify the activities of "BEIT HAGALGALIM" project, and even to establish a permanent home.
Our southern branch, which launched its activities on1999, is in special need right now.

Agudat Shai is registered as a non profit organization (NPO no. 58-002-399-2) and is recognized as a "public institution" for tax purposes in Israel and USA (through PEF)

Your contribution to Agudat Shai can be sent to:
First International Bank
Main Branch:

Acct. No. 020-461-117463

Acct. No. 015-409-273201

Agudat Shai is administered by a Board of Governors, chaired by Advocate Avi-Ezer Grauer.
The southern branch is directed by Ora Bittan who is helped by Oz Mordechai and is accompanied by board members: Ornit Dan and Eilon Shany.

BEIT HAGALGALIM
Agudat Shai
Association for the rehabilitation and Support of Handicapped Youth

Main Branch: 4, Keren Hayesod St., Herzelia Pituah, 46663, Israel, Tel: 972-9-9557999, Fax: 972-9-9512006.
Southern Branch: Beer-Sheva
If you decide to donate after visiting our page, e-mail to: dudieko@netvision.net.il

This page was prepared by Shany Eilon