< PHOTO BY HOWARD KAPLAN Just Doing It With a little help from friends and strangers, the JCC is continuing to examine and improve itself. JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER he Jewish Community Center already has some answers for members of the community who are ei- ther distressed by its shortcom- ings, who have abandoned it altogether, or who never joined. A wide-ranging survey of com- munity attitudes, distilled in a report released last week, bol- sters the JCC's ongoing efforts to remake itself and also puts it on a new track. The Bloom Report was for- mally introduced at the Jewish Community Center annual meeting June 19. Author Mitchell Jaffe, assistant execu- tive director of the Jewish Com- munity Centers Association in New York, provided a synopsis of the 83-page report, which cov- ers everything from children's toys to brooms and mops. Douglas Bloom, chairman of the JCC executive committee, and his wife Barbara provided the funding for the survey, which began gauging the views of some 250 people last December. "It was well worth it. It vali- dated much of what many of us thought were our strengths and weaknesses," Mr. Bloom said. The JCC has weathered steep losses in membership, turnover T G V t of high-ranking staff, and bad press for the past five years. Many of the 180 people inter- viewed in 19 focus groups and the 58 community leaders who provided "key informant" inter- views about community percep- tions of the JCC expressed dissatisfaction about the fitness clubs, the maintenance of the buildings and customer service. They wanted expanded babysitting hours, more day care and newer toys for their children. They wanted an easier time get- ting in and out of the Maple- Drake center. They wanted friendlier and more helpful staff. They wanted more events for sin- gles, single parents and inter- marrieds. And they really wanted more Jewish content in the JCC's programming. The focus groups comprised different segments of the com- munity — parents with young children, singles, Russian immi- grants, senior citizens and Or- thodox Jews, for example. Some were members; some not. Interestingly, many more peo- ple were satisfied with the Jim- my Prentis Morris branch of the JCC in Oak Park than the Maple-Drake branch, which is newer and bigger. They told Mr. a health club than a gen- eral meeting place for the community. Others said fitness equipment needs an upgrade in order to compete with other clubs. Still others said the clubs are a drain on JCC re- sources. The cost of member- ship did not rank high as a concern among partic- ipants, but the need for Jewish programming did. The Bloom Report is the first step in Phase II of the JCC's overall re- newal plan. A capital fund-raising campaign and management and building renovation stud- ies will be launched by the close of the year. Phase I comprised reno- vations to the health clubs in both facilities. But what some of the interviewees suggested have already been put in place, Mr. Bloom noted. In February, the JCC hired a director of Juda- ic enrichment, Beth Greenapple, who is charged with infusing center programming with Jewish content. Mr. Bloom also praised JCC Executive Director David Sorkin for hiring a competent maintenance Douglas Bloom addresses the JCC board. Jaffe that the JPM is more "com- munity-minded" and less "edifice driven" than Maple-Drake. The health clubs at both cen- ters also elicited a lot of comment and suggestions. Some partici- pants in the survey lamented that the JCC is better known as staff. "I rarely, if ever, hear that bathrooms are dirty," he said. Basing his recommendations Fresh, Fast Right on the mark want to know what's hip and happening with Detroit's Jewish young adults and singles? (heck "Tie Scene.' Every week in ihe Detroit Jewish News. __/ 271 W. Maple Downtown Birmingham 258.0212 Mon. - Sat. 10-6 Thurs. 10-9