A Broader Brush

Keshet's new alliance with JARC will enable it to
expand its services to families of children with
special needs.

JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER

C

arol Kaczander remembers
bringing her son Robbie to
a birthday party and sens-
ing the collective "groan" of
the other guests.
She calls it a mixed expression
of commiseration and callousness
by people who have "normal" chil-
dren.
When Ms. Kaczander talked to
other families in the Keshet pro-
gram, they understood the groan.
It's a familiar sound.
"I didn't have to walk into a
Keshet program thinking some-
one was going to look askance or
curious. I never had to explain my
feelings. I could say my feelings
to a roomful of people who had
those same feelings," she recalls.
Ms. Kaczander, whose 17-year-
old son suffers from a rare genet-
ic disorder called Angelman's
syndrome, tapped into myriad
available programs for families
coping with raising a child with
special needs. Some, like Jewish

Experiences For Families, were
based in the Jewish community,
but the "Jewish component" was
still missing.
"I felt like I was the only par-
ent with a Jewish child with spe-
cial needs," she recalls.
Then came Ronelle Grier, the
parent of 9-year-old Molly, who
has been diagnosed as autistic.
Ms. Grier read about a Chicago-
based support group called
Keshet in Exceptional Parent
magazine. When she called to get
the number for the Detroit chap-
ter and learned there was none,
she started it.
"For me it provided a support
network, which I badly needed.
When I had Molly, I had friends
who were having babies and none
had the kinds of problems we
were dealing with," Ms. Grier
says.
At the beginning, she sought
the help of Ms. Kaczander "be-
cause she knew everybody there

was to know in the Jewish com- ask for a better family to take
munity." The two, working in Ms. Keshet than JARC. I think they
Griefs kitchen, began doing mail- do wonderful things, and they're
ings.
beautifully run and well- orga-
That was in 1991. With a grant nized. Hopefully, JARC will give
from the Max M. Fisher Jewish Keshet the backup and resources
Community Foundation, Keshet it needs to get off the ground," Ms.
(Hebrew for "rainbow") grew into Grier says.
a support/advocacy organization
In the past five years, Keshet
that has served 250 to 300 fami- has served as a social and politi-
lies. With a new, three-year grant cal network, bringing parents and
($50,000 annually) from the Unit- grandparents together, hosting
ed Jewish Foundation and en- holiday parties and forming sup-
dowment funds from
the Jewish Federa-
tion of Metropolitan
Detroit, Keshet will
join forces with Jew-
ish Association for
Residential Care
(JARC) and become
the Keshet Family
Support Program. Its
scope will be broad-
ened to include fami-
lies with children of
any age who suffer
from any disability,
whether it be learn-
ing, emotional or
physical.
"I was saying to
[JARC Executive Di-
rector] Joyce Keller,
I sort of feel like a
birth mother who's
giving a baby to a
good home. I couldn't Robbie Kaczander with his parents Rick and Carol.

port groups. Parents are trained

as one-on-one volunteers for oth-
er parents.
One of the first activities on tap
for the newly configured program
is a Purim party for families on
Sunday, March 16. Coffee and
conversation groups will contin-
ue on a monthly basis at individ-
uals' homes as will other holiday
parties.
'We haven't really defined ex-
actly what we're going to do, but

&&w

A

DA

HARDWARE

is now open to woe you in

T HE DETROIT J E WI SH NEW S

WEST SZOONFIELD

8

Orckard lake at lone Pine in Crosswind, Mall

A complete line of hdrdware for tke
homeowner & contractor

custom cabinetry

(8 ) 624-7300

Showroom Hours: Monday-Friday 11-5, Saturday 11-3 or by appointment

3160 Haggerty Rd. • West Bloomfield • 48323

• PLUMBING & HEATING
• ELECTRICAL • TOOLS
• LAWN & GARDEN
• PAINT • AUTOMOTIVE
• HOUSEWARES

OPEN 9-9
SATURDAY 8-9
SUNDAY 9-5
810-626-5860

MI IN NI III

MTh NI MI 111 9

III III

■

III

