FOUNDATION page 9
three-hour drive from Little
Rock, not far from Memphis.
. The Rev. Frierson called the
contribution "great," saying it
will enable the church to pour a
new foundation in the spring.
He estimated the cost of re-
building Fredonia at $70,000 to
$75,000.
That non-Christian members
of a community outside of
Arkansas contributed to the pro-
ject is "wonderful; it really is,"
he marveled.
The Rev. Frierson was out of
town when his church burned.
His wife found him and told
him, but he didn't believe it un-
til he watched the news on a lo-
cal television station, he
recalled.
Arkansas
church had
no other aid.
"I was shocked. It did take
something out of me," the Rev.
Frierson said.
Fredonia has about 45 con-
gregants.
In the meantime, thousands
of dollars raised in other sectors
of the Jewish community, in-
cluding the Young Adult Divi-
sion of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit and Tem-
ple Israel, went toward Project
Restoration and another fund
earmarked for the rebuilding of
burned churches in the south.
Rabbi Marla Feldman of the
Jewish Community Council said
the council chose to find a church
that was out of the loop, like Fre-
donia, rather than going through
one of the established national
funds, like the National Council
of Churches' Burned Churches
Fund.
"We wanted to have more
direct input as to where the
funds would go," she explained.
"When we saw the list, we saw
that several were in Arkansas.
We contacted the Arkansas
Jewish community, which were
very happy to be our eyes and
ears. They helped us identify
this church, because it was par-
ticularly needy and hadn't re-
ceived any funding from other
funds. They know the area well
enough to identify that it's one
of the poorest counties in the
country." ❑
Publicity Deadlines
The normal deadline for local news and
publicity items is noon Thursday, eight
days prior to issue date. The deadline
for out-of-town obituaries is 10 a.m.
Tuesday, three days prior to issue date.
Great Over Eighty
Jewish Federation Apartments is looking
for a few lions in the over-80 category.
MARA REINSTEIN JEWISH NEWS INTERN
I
n 1993, Marsha Goldsmith and
her colleagues at Jewish Fed-
eration Apartments were try-
ing to think of a way to honor
senior citizens in the metro De-
troit community.
"We wanted to do something
like Crain's 40 important people
under 40 and incorporate it in a
Jewish way," says Ms. Goldsmith,
executive director of JFA, which
provides affordable local housing
services to older adults.
The result was the Eight Over
Eighty Jewish Senior Adult Hall
of Fame, which is in its fourth
year.
Eight members of the commu-
nity who are at least 80 years old
are chosen for the awards. The
number eight derives from the
number of days of Chanukah,
says Ms. Goldsmith. The winners
must exemplify the same quali-
ties of the heroes found in the sto-
ry of Judah and the Maccabees —
working to maintain Jewish iden-
tity, dedicating oneself to a belief
or cause, facing challenges and/or
taking risks to promote a cause
and making a difference by lead-
ing a few in victory over many.
The honorees will be cited at a
ceremony at the JFA on May 18,
in recognition of Older Americans
Month. Last year's inductees were
Bessie Fox Chase, Regina Feuer,
Belle Freedman, Use S. Roberg,
Arthur Schultz, Anne Gonte Sil-
ver, Phillip Stollman and Celia
Wilson.
This year's deadline for nomi-
nations is Jan. 30. In mid-March,
five judges — local business and
community leaders — will narrow
the applicant pool down to ap-
proximately 15 people, who will
then be interviewed.
For a nomination form, call D.J.
Kucharski at (810) 661-5220 or
the JFA at (810) 661-0123. Last
year, JFA received more than 50
applications.
Ms. Goldsmith says the awards
are successful because people like
to recognize those who make a dif-
ference but are often taken for
granted. "Senior citizens have
kind of been ignored," she says.
"They don't just watch TV and
knit; they're movers and shakers
and they still contribute to soci-
ety."
One such winner is Anna Mick-
el of Southfield. Two years ago,
Rabbi David Nelson and Mrs.
Mickel's daughter-in-law, Iris,
nominated her because of her nu-
merous contributions to local or-
ganizations and councils, like
chairing the Advisory Council of
the Michigan Department of Ag-
ing and serving on the board of di-
rectors of the Agency for Jewish
Education.
"I was flattered because I didn't
think I could compete — there are
so many capable people in the
community," says Mrs. Mickel.
"But it was a great surprise; it's
nice to be recognized."
In 1995, the Eight Over Eighty
event received the 1995 Out-
standing Jewish Programming
Award from the North American
Association of Jewish Homes and
Housing for the Aging. Since then,
Ms. Goldsmith says several sister
agencies — from Philadelphia to
Seattle — have consulted her for
advice in starting their own Se-
nior Hall of Fame. 'The honorees
give you hope for the future, and
it makes getting older less scary,"
says Ms. Goldsmith. "Their moti-
vation really gives you inspira-
tion." ❑
THE HOLIDAYS NAY BE OVER
BUT WE'RE STILL CELEBRATING AT
•
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