'SINGLE LIFE I 011T-ra7r.70 ; 779 ,4erria Single Parent Groups Offer A Place To Fit In RICHARD PEARL Staff Writer p SPECTRUM 4 DR. NEW From OZ $016202 • Lease pymt. based on approved credit on 48 mos. dosed end, 60,000 total mileage w/9¢ per mile extra charge. To get total amt. multiply pymt. times 48. Subject to 4% use tax, 1st. mo. in advance. sec. dept. equal to 1st Rio. pymt., plate cost extra. HOURS Mon. & Thur. 'hi 9 Tue., Wed., Fri. 'til 6 MARLA FELDMAN LEASING MANAGER JEWISH SINGLES For Selective Dating Call MAGIC MEMORIES cj. LO-LA VIDEO PHOTOGRAPHY The Dating Service •weddings•bar/bat mitzvahs sweet 16 'household inventory.insurance video by DAVID CITRIN 471-1235 'Iffy our complimentary interview strictly confidential P.O. Box 254 Lathrup Village, MI 48076 356-0949 Claire Arm Mildred Rosenbaum The Shoe Center 04 Come visit our new store! 40% OFF Selected Merchandise WE NOW HAVE THE CALIFORNIA MAGDESIANS Sizes up to 11 21712 W. 11 Mile Rd. Harvard Row Mall, SM. 355-1350 90 FRIDAY, MAY 26, 1989 Hours: Doily 10-7, Thurs. till 8 Sot. 9:30-6:00, Closed Sun. roviding an atmos- phere in which single Jewish parents can fit and feel comfortable is the goal of two recently organiz- ed Detroit groups. The groups are the Single Parent Family Club, spon- sored by the Jewish Corn- munity Center, and SOLO, sponsored by Temple Israel. The organizations have taken somewhat different ap- proaches. The Center group has held parent-and-child pro- grams while SOLO so far has offered adult-only programs. A family picnic is scheduled June 11 by SOLO. Members of both groups feel there's a need for programm- ingfor divorced and/or widow- ed parents in a Jewish con- text. They said such organiza- tions as Parents Without Partners don't meet those needs: "I like to meet people who are Jewish," said Michelle Losonci of Farmington Hills, divorced mother of 4-year-old, Sara, who said she found few Jews and more older people at PWP meetings. In addition, she said, "I. wanted something that would include the kids. It's good for children to be with other children!" Losonci, a member of the Single Parent Club, said that at the first club function — a spaghetti dinner that featured a clown and Bingo — "Sara and her friend Lauren Nest (also 5) sat down and talked. They talked with each other about the divorce — about how their dads don't live at home anymore. "There are so many other groups around — groups for . families — that going to their functions puts us in an awkward position. And for children to see (non-divorced families), it bothers them," she said. The JCCenter wants to of- fer programs allowing divorc- ed or widowed parents to par- ticipate in activities with their children, said Stuart Rogoff, family and teen pro- gram director. "We want the parent not to look at his or her situation necessarily as a single parent family, but as a legitimate structure — something in which the kids can feel comfortable," he said. About 20 adults and children participated in a JCCenter Shabbaton last Fri- day . American Red Cross Blood Services Southeastern Michigan Region Sherrie Stern, SOLO coor- dinator for rkmple Israel, said the group has taken an educational and social ap- proach. "We feel parents want to know what other parents say regarding- bringing up children?' SOLO led off with a talk by psychologist Sonya Friedman which drew over 150 adults. The group's second event, a comedy club dinner and show, was less successful, drawing 20 women and no men. Fran Stern of Farmington Hills (no relation to Sherrie), who helped plan the function, was disappointed but felt the low turnout might be due to the group's newness. Mother to Lora, 15, and Brian, 12, the divorced Stern said she is looking for other divorced parents who want `Sara and her friend sat down and talked. They talked with each other about the divorce. planned activities without having to go to singles bars. Because "my kids are not into meeting other kids — they're older and they have their own friends," Stern didn't feel the need for much child-parent programming, although "I would love to take them to a baseball game where they could meet other parents. I think they'd like the adult contact?' Mainly, she said, she's in- terested in meeting other Jews, to share similar backgrounds. "I have a bar mitzvah coming up in November," she said. Members of both groups say the major problem to date seems to be the lack of par- ticipation by single fathers. "Non-custodial fathers can come to baseball games, too, and can feel comfortable knowing there are others like them," said Sherrie Stern. Finding a new husband or wife wasn't mentioned as a priority b_y members of either group, "If I re-marry, I'd like to marry someone Jewish," said Losonci, the Single Parent Family Club member. That reminded her of another good reason for such groups: "If I meet someone who's single and tell them I'm married and have a child, they're scared off." ❑ UI