The Friendship Circle operated by the Chabad-Lubavitch Center of Sharon, Mass., won an online competition among Boston-area nonprofits sponsored by the Virgin American airline to herald its new transcontinental service between Boston Logan International Airport and the California destinations of Los Angeles and S. Francisco.

The airline awarded $25,000 to the program, which pairs local teenage volunteers with children with special needs, after a majority of voters selected the Friendship Circle as the top example of an organization that changes its community for the better.

Said Rabbi Chaim Wolosow, executive director of the Friendship Circle of Sharon: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the recipient of this prize and proud to be part of the revolution by providing children with special needs and their families with special friends.” …