DETROIT THE JEWISH NEWS This Week's Top Stories 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.