Story by CATHY SHAFRAN
Photos by KRI STA HUSA
.
Volunteers and clients forge new bonds of
understanding during JFS Fall Fix Up
This page, clockwise:
Irma Shonberger, 87, tidies the piano
in her Oak Park home....
....while Lexie Miller, 12, of West Bloomfield, vacuums.
6-ear-olds Joel Miller and Emma Cohen
of West Bloomfield take a. break.
Beth Alter, and her mother Marla, rake leaves.
"When you're in this condition,
you can't do a lot of stuff," Wolf
lamented.
"To see how much they appreciate
the small things we're doing for
them," said program co-chair Irvin
Kappy, "it brings tears to your eyes."
"You get a good feeling because you
helped," said 10-year-old Orian York
from inside a storage shed she had
spent the morning cleaning and orga-
nizing. "And when you see the people
you're helping, you really feel like
you've done a mitzvah."
Then she paused, looking in the
direction of the 62-year-old Holocaust
survivor she had worked to help all
morning. Orian reflected, "one of the
best things is that by the end of the
day, you've come to know a new per-
son."
"It's amazing," said volunteer Mark
Landau of West Bloomfield, who had
asked his son Ryan, 10, to join in the
volunteer effort. "The kids come here
and ask to do more work. At home,
we can't get them to clean a thing."
Fate brought West Bloomfield
podiatrist Jeff Danto to an Oak Park
home, where there turned out to be a
special need for him to fill.
Danto was diligently cleaning win-
dows for an older woman, the sole
caretaker of her 35-year-old daughter
who was stricken with a debilitating
genetic disorder. Because of her daugh-
ter's deteriorating physical condition,
the mother was now unable to trans-
port her to doctor's offices for medical
treatment. Most treatment was now
confined to medical emergencies when
an ambulance could be called.
While she was explaining her plight
to another volunteer, the mother spotted
Danto with cleaning supplies in hand.
"Doctor Danto," she said, "you are
a podiatrist, aren't you? Do you think
you might have a moment to look at
my daughter's foot? The other podia-
trist stopped coming here. And I'm
worried I might not be taking care of
one of the nails the right way."
"Of course," said Danto, his smile
broadening. "I have my bag in the car.
I always carry it with me. I'd be glad
to help." ❑
11/13
1998
Detroit. Jewish News
15