NEWER

Red Ink At JCC

isn't Always

Center cuts $200,000 from projected
$750, 000 in deficit spending.

BETTER

LONNY GOLDSMITH
StaffWriter

T

he announced closing of the
child development program
at the Jimmy Prentis Morris
building of the Jewish
Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit was triggered by the need to
cut at least $200,000 from a budget in
which spending was outpacing income
by $750,000, according to the JCC's
chief adrilinistrative officer.
"We had been looking to keep a
major deficit under control and we
had to cut a variety of things," said
Executive Director David Sorkin. He
said $40,000 would be saved by end-
ing the program in Oak Park, an addi-
tional $35,000 would come from other
unspecified programs that also generate
revenues .and the balance of the sav-
ings, $125,000, from staff that won't
be hired, and publicity and staff train-
ing that won't be done.
The decision to end the program in
the JCC's JPM building triggered
sharp protests from the families whose
21 infants, toddlers and pre-school
children are cared for there. They say
they hope the decision can be reversed.
JCC revenue comes from member-
ship dues, program fees, United Way
and allocations from the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
Last year, Federation gave the JCC's

The Heatherwood Retirement Community is
a successful senior community that has been
a strong part of Southfield since 1986.

Southfteld's Most Distinguished
etirement Community Offers:

• Lunch available (7 days per week) - something -the others don't off

• Evening meal provided (7 days per week)

• On site staffing 24 hours a day

• Emergency pull cord in each apartment

• Local transportation for errands & appointments

• Full size apartment with kitchen

• Weeklyhousekeeping & linen service

• Personal care assistance available through on-site health care sta

Heatherwood is owned & managed by Capital Senior Living -
one of the country's leading retirement community corporations.

For information, call Kathy Ostrowski: (248
22800 Civic Center Drive • Southfield

777

XR:p

• Any Garment

• Dry Cleaned
& Pressed

1

45

• Shirts also
cleaned at
discount prices

Per Garment

• Next Day .41. ►
.....00.-
DRYCLEANING ..,• Leather &
Service
IOW
Suede Service
• Over 60 Stores 000
Available
Nationwide

HOURS: M-F 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM • SAT. 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
2555 ORCHARD LAKE RD. (between Cass Lake & Middlebelt)
SYLVAN LAKE, MICHIGAN 48320

248-738-0717

4/2
1999

1111Lan_fro it I om.ti_c_b_Nouvc

$1.5 million toward its overall budget
of $9 million.
The Federation also continued a
special annual grant of $525,000, first
approved in 1997, to help the Center
cope with membership drops expected
during a building renovation effort.
Despite that extra help, Sorkin said,
the deficit continued to climb, to a
projected $750,000 for the fiscal year
beginning in June.
"We're spending it faster than it's
coming in," he said. Now we have to
budget real well" to get through to the
end of the JCC's $25 million capital
and endowment campaign.
He said he did not know exactly how
much the overspending totaled nor how
the Center would make up that debt.
In making the cuts, Sorkin said
budget officials and board members
looked at programs with the smallest
constituencies. The child development
center was also considered a good tar-
get, he said, because it wasn't meeting
its educational objectives. One class-
room had to serve the youngest
preschool kids, at 2 years old, and the
oldest, at 5 years old. "It became less
viable [to operate the program]
because of the makeup of the class-
rooms," Sorkin said.
JCC officials are scheduled to meet
with their Federation counterparts in
May; Sorkin said he had wanted to
avoid public discussion of the planned

.

New Faces For Seders

For 20 years, the Beider family of
West Bloomfield has asked Jewish
Americans new to the United States to
join them for their family seder.
Last month, Andrew and Libby
Beider started a campaign to get other
families to observe hachnaset orchim,
the inviting of special guests to one's
seder table.
The campaign started strongly, with
about 100 hosts signed up to invite
350 guests to family seders this week.
"I've gotten responses from host
families who are grateful of having a
way of doing a simcha like this," said
Libby Beider, whose family served 16
additional guests at each seder this
week. "It's heartwarming."
The Beiders' three daughters —

Marla, 18, Rachel, 15, Shoshana, 12
— help prepare the seder meals.
As the calls came in, the Beiders
placed people, and not all are New
Americans from the former Soviet
Union. Some are elderly couples, or
single men.
The Beiders took a call from couple
who said they would be vacationing in
Aruba during Passover, and wanted to
be placed at a seder. "Well, you know,
I feel kind of powerful, but I don't
think it quite goes that far," Libby
said. "Get out the Yellow Pages, call
the synagogues, or look up a Shapiro
or a Cohen or a Levine.
"They'll be thrilled to help you or
direct you. That's what we do."

—Harry Kit sbaum

