This Week
Right: Maxme Lytton, a
concentrates on drawing an even
the watchful eye of student Stefiiii
Far right: Student Samantha
gives a hel
jARC resident El
.
Below: JARC resident Cindy
gets some help with her ki
seventh-graders Andrea Seim
Ariel Kowalski, along with Ifi
Liz Schubiner and Ester
DIANA LIEBERMAN Staff Writer
BILL HANSEN Photographer
olored glue, pearls and silver stars were
sprinkled all over the dining room table at
the Samuels Home in Beverly Hills last
week.
The home's residents — six women served by
JARC, the Jewish Association for Residential Care —
had spent the evening decorating kippot (head cover-
ings) with seventh-grade students from Hillel Day
School of Metropolitan Detroit. After making sure
the remains of their art project .were cleaned up, the
women served lemonade and chocolate chip cookies.
The students at the Farmington Hills-based
school are all in or near their bar and bat mitzvah
years. Social service is part of the school's seventh-
grade curriculum.
The kipporthey made at the Samuels Home
that night became works of art, each showing the
individuality of its creator. Meanwhile, the visit
helped glue together a friendship between the girls
and the residents.
The men and women served by JARC have a
range of developmental disabilities. Most work at
paid jobs during the day, either at the Jewish
Vocational Service in Southfield or at charitable and
commercial locations in the community.
Cindy Sherman felt quite a bit under the weather
after her day's work at Burger King. But she perked
up a little while gluing stars and hearts with 12-year-
olds Andrea Schubiner of Bloomfield Hills and Ariel Kowalski of
Farmington Hills.
Resident Mary Roy has worked at JVS since 1982 at a variety
of jobs including labeling bottles and sorting coupons. "I've never
done this before," Roy said as she began decorating her kippa.
"Neither have I," admitted Stefanie Schostak, 12, of Franklin.
About 79 students participated in the annual project, at 14
different JARC homes.
This year's project began in January, when JARC residents vis-
ited Hillel for an evening of bingo with the seventh-graders,
while parents received a program orientation in another room.
Because so many people were involved, this first event was divid-
ed into two nights.
For their return visits to the JARC homes, students led the
same art project in each home. The students will return to the
same homes twice more this school year for activities they have
selected to do with the residents.
"At Hillel, we try to emphasize gimilut chasadim, acts of lov-
ingkindness," said Hillel athletic director Alita Cyrlin, who coor-
dinates the program along with Sarah Aasheim, JARC's commu-
nity relations coordinator.
"We're all made in the image of God," Cyrlin said. ❑
C
Reaching Out
JARC family
welcomes Hillel
seventh graders
to their home.
3/3
2000
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