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NT

Campaign Clout

A $28 million Allied Jewish Campaign translates into
increases for local Jewish agencies and services.

ALAN HITSKY ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T

he board of the Jewish
Federation of Metropoli-
tan Detroit on Tuesday
approved $24.2 million in
allocations from the 1997 Allied
Jewish Campaign. The funding
for local Jewish programs to-
taled $9.8 million, an 8 percent
increase over 1996, with an ad-
ditional $800,000 for national
Jewish programs and $13.6 mil-
lion for Israel and overseas
needs.
"Because we had a strong
Campaign, we were able to put
money into our children and
people who need help the most,"

said Federation President
Robert Naftaly. "People weren't
getting called for a Campaign
gift. They were getting called to
help educate Jewish children
and to help the developmental-
ly disabled."
Mr. Naftaly said the local al-
locations emphasized popula-
tions at risk: individuals with
special needs, new Americans
and the elderly. Funding was
granted for a chaplaincy. pro-
gram for homebound elderly; the
Jewish Vocational Service's

CLOUT page 6

A Sign Of Hea

The merger of Sinai Hospital and the Detroit
Medical Center is sealed with a celebration.

Laura Bank and Julie Bodnick formed a lasting relationship.

In the guise of helping families,
a JFS program has created special friendships.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

ulie Bodnick wasn't exact-
ly sure what she was get-
ting into.
As a Jewish Family Ser-
vice board member and a volun-
teer for other Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit agencies,
she had always served on com-
mittees or on the organizing end
of things. What she really want-
ed to do was work one on one
with someone who could benefit
from what she had to offer: men-
torship and support.
So she signed up to be a vol-
unteer for a JFS program called
Special Friends, now known as
Echad al Echad.
And while she knew exactly
what the program was about and
what to expect, Ms. Bodnick was
- not sure what would happen be-
tween herself and her new friend,
Laura Banks of Farmington
Hills.
The result went way beyond
what she expected; Ms. Bodnick
and Ms. Bank have formed a
bond that goes beyond simple
mentorship. They have become
pals.
"This is the kind of thing that
you can't even put into words,"
she said. "It is heartwarming."
Although the name is new, the

til

JFS program has been around
nearly 20 years. Spawned in re-
sponse to the growing divorce
rate at the time, the program was
initially very similar to the na-
tionwide Big Brother/Big Sisters
program. It has accommodated
as many as 12 families at once;
it currently assists two families.
Over the years, as the response
grew to the needs of Jewish sin-
gle-parent families, the program
has changed.
"We have expanded in where
and how we are giving assis-
tance," said Sheryl Litt, a JFS
clinical social worker in charge
of the program.
While Big Brothers/Big Sisters
and its JFS counterpart are es-
sentially the same, there is one
difference. "We are matching
Jewish kids with Jewish men-
tors," Ms. Litt said.
Echad al Echad works like
this: A family comes to JFS for
assistance and a social worker or
therapist makes an assessment
that the child may benefit from
another role model. The social
worker then makes a recom-
mendation to the program.
At the other end, a volunteer
is screened through a formal ap-
plication, an interview and a po-

lice check for criminal back-
ground. After he or she passes
the assessment, a match is made
between the child's needs and the
volunteer's abilities to provide for
those needs.
Ms. Litt said much thought
goes into the match, mostly to
protect the child but also because
all parties involved have high ex-
pectations for its potential out-
come.
"We want to make sure that
this is a good experience for the
families, for the kids and for the
volunteers," she said.
After all of the matching is
complete, the child and the vol-
unteer meet at JFS to become ac-
quainted. The following week the
activities begin.
For Ms. Bodnick and Ms.
Banks, their weekly meetings
brought them to dance recitals,
to view art shows, to play minia-
ture golf and to see movies. To-
gether, they baked challah or
made rugelach or hamantashen.
And together, they grew to be
friends.
"I had never done anything
like this before," recalled Ms.
Banks or their first few meetings.

HAND page 6

JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER

inai Hospital and the kosher food and rabbinical ser-
Detroit Medical Center vices.
celebrated their new
The event also celebrated
union last week by construction of a state-of-the art
unveiling the sign that will clinical building and a new
grace a flank of Huron Valley birthing center.
Hospital in Commerce
Offering congratula-
Township.
.12,
tions at the affair were
The new hybrid will
in nlinc. a.
David Campbell, presi-
en ; 0 dent and chief executive
be known as Huron Ce David
Valley-Sinai Hospital. Campbell with officer of the DMC; Rab-
DMC, which acquired
the sign. bi Paul Yedwab of Tern-
Huron Valley in 1988,
ple Israel; David Page,
bought Sinai for a reported vice chairman of the DMC
$50-$60 million in January, board of trustees; and Mark E.
adding it to its stable of six hos- Schlussel, DMC trustee and
pitals throughout the metro former chairman of Sinai's
politan area Along with the board of directors. Rabbi
presentation of the new sign Leonard Perlstein, rabbinic ad-
came the announcement that ministrator at Sinai, provid
Huron Valley-Sinai will offer ed the invocation.