'We All Have Value': Red Carpet Event Highlights Adults With Disabilities At Friedberg JCC

OCEANSIDE, NY — The Friedberg JCC hosted its annual Red Carpet Event on April 16, spotlighting the talents of adults with disabilities as community members gathered for a night centered on inclusion and advocacy.

Now in its sixth year, the event — hosted in partnership with the Special Advocacy Coalition (SPEAC) — featured a mix of performances, including SPEAC member Adam Goldberg’s combination of yoga and boxing demonstrations, Elise Olsen’s poetry, and additional acts from Catherine Schexnayder, Hope Lefstein, Ian Schoenberg, Jeff Metviner and Danny Markfeld.

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SPEAC is a community-focused advocacy group tied closely to the Friedberg JCC that works to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, particularly adults, through a mix of programming, awareness and outreach.

Goldberg, who participates in the JCC’s special-needs boxing class instructed by trainer Steve Solomon, walked the audience through various techniques while explaining their impact.

“Yoga helps me calm down, but boxing gets me excited,” he said, demonstrating movements and combinations such as uppercuts and hooks.

His performance was followed by Olsen, who delivered an original poem centered on self-belief and perseverance.

“I think it’s amazing,” said Kim Greenfield, the JCC’s Director of Disability and Inclusion Services, who attended her first Red Carpet Event since stepping into the role less than a year ago. “I think the fact that we have every facet of this event being organized as well as executed by people of all abilities is something very special and unique, and I’m very proud of everybody who had a hand in it.”

Greenfield said she hopes to expand opportunities in creative fields and would like to see individuals with disabilities become “more involved in the arts, so in acting and singing and playing music.”

For many, the event represented something deeper than a talent showcase.

SPEAC founder and president Ashley Gazes, who has helped grow the event into a cornerstone of advocacy in the community, said the night continues to carry meaning as it evolves.

“It’s amazing,” Gazes said. “This is a night to remember.”

The importance of community support and advocacy was echoed by attendees and local leaders throughout the evening.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Joseph Scianablo, who is running for Town of Hempstead supervisor. “I had the pleasure of meeting Ashley over a year ago, and it’s just tremendous what they’re able to do and bring the community together. This talent show highlights the fact that this community and this group are just amazing at everything they do, and we’re just proud to be a part of it.”

Friedberg JCC CEO Roni Kleinman said the organization continues to make efforts to create meaningful opportunities for individuals with disabilities, noting that while the Red Carpet Event serves as a visible celebration, the work extends year-round.

“We have the teacher assistant development program, where we’re training neurodiverse individuals to become classroom assistants in school, after school and camp,” she said. “We have a curriculum, we have internships, and then hopefully they’ll either get hired by one of our JCCs or another center in the community.”

The JCC also offers vocational training initiatives tied to Harvey’s Café, where participants gain real-world experience in food service and job readiness through partnerships with organizations like Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services.

“The great stuff we do — we don’t talk about inclusion, we mean it,” Kleinman said.

Looking ahead, Kleinman said the JCC is exploring plans to open a special-needs preschool, an initiative that could take shape as early as 2027.

Gazes, who also serves as a disabilities consultant for Scianablo’s team, said she was honoring the night to Petros Krommidas, the political candidate who went missing last spring, and attended last year's red carpet event. Gazes said she wants SPEAC to continue to expand its presence in both community and advocacy spaces.

“I want to get new members to come, if possible,” she said. “We all have something to contribute, and we all have value.”