56 Friday, December 22, 1918 THE DETROIT BOSH NEWS Detroit Section of National Council of Jewish Women Recalls Milestones in Advance of 85th Anniversary Celebration Locally cal culture, and in 1902, with the establishment of a scholarship fund. As early as 1905, the organization joined with others to pro- mote social action by pro- testing the inhumanites taking place in the Congo. The serving of penny lunches to school children in 1911 pointed the direction which the organization was to follow in many areas. The process began with a thorough investigation into the needs of hungry chil- dren and how best to serve them. Volunteers prepared sandwiches in their homes, took them to the schools and sold them for a penny so that countless children would not be hungry during the day. The Detroit Board of Education adopted the program and launched a city-wide school lunch pro- gram. In preparation for its cel- ebration of the 85th an- niversary of the National Council of Jewish Women, the Greater Detroit Section recalled some major events in its own history in ad- vance of the Jan. 15 community-wide event at Temple Beth El. The spark which ignited the formation of NCJW was the Chicago World's Fair, in 1893, where women from all over the country presented a Hall of Religion. The Jewish Women's Club of Temple Beth El, which was later to become affiliated with NCJW as its Detroit Section, sent a committee to help work on the presenta- tion at the fair. The Jewish Women's Club from its inception in 1891, concerned itself with visits to the sick, classes in English, literature, physi- Holiday Hours . Fri. & Sat. Dec. 22nd & 23rd 9-7:30 Sun., Dec. 24th 12-5 357-Iwo C444 SUITE 110-HERITAGE PLAZA 24901 NORTHWESTERN HWY. SOUTHFIELD I • i r_WELERS oT 0 N 3 S MOuR ■ AND If Softt MININ! After the First World War in 1918, NCJW formed a unit for the Red Cross that served in France. In 1925, the Jewish Women's Club joined NCJW as its De- troit Section. During the Depression the Detroit Section con- cluded the Council House Project, a residence for young women, in 1930, and in 1933, in conjunction with the Young Women's He- brew Association and the Jewish Community Center, a camp for working girls was established in Jeddo, Mich. Council ran the camp until the early 1940s. The first Council resale shop opened at 89 Rowena St. in 1934. The purpose of the shop was two-fold: to raise money for local NCJW projects and to provide those who could not afford more, an opportunity to buy good used clothing. In conjunction with the Jewish Center and the Jewish Welfare Federation, Detroit Section established the 12th Street Council Center which opened in De- cember 1944. Not only was this the first joint effort of these organizations, a social agency working in conjunc- tion with a volunteer mem- bership organization, but it was also the first branch of any Jewish Center in the country. A total of 125 NCJW volunteers serviced the branch progranis which included a "latch-key" recreation program for children after school, since many mothers were working during the war. Volunteers searched out the elderly so that they could use the 12th Street facilities. The older groups emerged later as the "Gol- den Agers." • FASHIONS STOCK REDUCTION m SALE! we are over-stocked & must raise cash! ALL WINTER MERCHANDISE DRASTICALLY REDUCED FOR CLEARANCE — NOW RACKS OF: • • • • • Parkas! Pant Coats! Pant Suits! Slack..., Skirts! 1/2 OFF! while they last! ALL SALES FINAL! RACKS OF: • • • • • Long Winter Coats! After-5 Wear! Fake Furs! Dresses! Sweaters! OPEN THURS. 8 FRI. TIL 9 • SAT. TIL 8 • SUNDAY 11 TO 5 HARVARD ROW MALL • 11 Mile Lahser, Southfield After the war, NCJW volunteers helped refugees fill out citizenship papers and locate lost relatives in conjunction with other Jewish agencies. The De- troit Section contributed $10,000 to the National Overseas Program and Service to the Foreign Born. In 1945-46, NCJW estab- lished and paid for homes in Paris and Athens to help homeless refugees learn new languages and skills for employment. In 1947 the Detroit Sec- tion urged the government to adopt national resolu- tions on Palestine to abro- gate laws restricting Jews from purchasing land there. When the second resale shop opened on Puritan Avenue in 1955, another idea came to fruition. The Angel Ball was launched to thank -members and non- members for their contribu- tidns of clothing and house- hold items which support all of NCJW's local projects. Tickets had to be earned through contributions. Council moved its offices to Council House on West McNichols Road in Detroit, and the first suburban branch of Detroit Section was formed in 1951. Several years later, a senior adult lounge program started ad- jacent to Council House to serve the social and rec- reational needs of the el- derly, a program started in 1957, and adopted by the Jewish Center in 1960. Op- eration Friendship, another lounge program for re- cuperating mental patients, started in 1960 after a sur- vey of local community needs. This program, too, became part of a larger mental health program in Detroit. In 1962 The Orchards, a residential treatment cen- ter for emotionally dis- turbed young boys, was in- stituted. A home was purchased in Livonia, owned and operated by the Detroit Section. Detroit Section contrib- uted $5,000 to the Hebrew University High School in Israel, and then gave an additional $5,000 for the Detroit Room. Later, an- other Israeli program was started by NCJW in Hatsur as part of the NCJW Re- search Institute for Innova- tion in Education to develop new techniques and mate- rials for educating disad- vantaged children. In 1964 the Custer Elementary School Project began with 100 volunteers who served as tutors and teachers' aides, a program which is still in several sub- urban schools. A new suburban office was located in South- field, and the Detroit sec- tion became the Greater Detroit Section of NCJW. Oakland Operation Friendship patterned after the original pro- gram was established in Royal Oak in 1970. Meals on Wheels was launched in 1973. Kosher meals are provided to more than 100 people daily who are either too old or too ill to prepare food for themselves: A total of 150 volunteers are involved in the preparation and delivery of meals five days a week. NCJW became affiliated with WICS, a coalition of women's organizations whose purpose is to provide supportive services for dis- advantaged young women in the community. The Greater Detroit Sec- tion launched another pro- gram in 1977 after thoroughly investigating the needs of single parent Jewish families in the community. The SPACE program is currently servic- ing the families of single, divorced or separated per- sons and their children by offering them supportive programs. The Burn Prevention program has just gotten under way. It provides educational materials to teach kindergarten through third grade stu- dents in selected schools the hazards of fire. Summarizing the Greater Detroit Section's history, Phyllis Welling, president, said, "For 85 years count- less services have been per- formed by NCJW members; but the- organization con- tinues to leok forward to the future where there remains much to be done. Most NCJW volunteers have learned that in meaningful service to others one finds the greatest fulfillment of self." Wishing All Our Friends & Customers A HAPPY HANUKA Filled With Happiness & Peace STELLA I MILE Cf 7E; E I OPEN MON & THUR , Ill 9 P M Call ART WEISS 531-2500 END-OF-SEASON REDUCED MOSTLY INFANTS THRU SIZE 14 FOR BOYS & GIRLS 23077 Coolidge, Oak Park OPEN DAILY 9:30 TIL 5:30 • BANKAMERICARD • MASTER CHARGE