ALAN ABRAMS
Special to the Jewish New,

s a non-Jew with a Jewish
husband, the undercurrent
of officially sanctioned prej-
udices in the Baltic republic
of Latvia made life unbearable for
Tatyana Levina and her family.
Levina, her husband Yevgeniy, and
their two daughters, Yuliya and
Marina, fled the capital city of Riga
four years ago and arrived in Detroit
barely speaking or understanding a
word of English. -
On May 22, Levina was named
one of fOur Jewish Vocational
Service (JVS) Employees of the -
Year. She received the honor in
recognition of her work as a claims
analyst at Actiondata, Inc.
During those four years, Levina,
of Walled Lake, and her family
worked with JVS and their Refugee
Employment Services t • make their
acculturation less difficult. She
learned how to use a computer and
better her English skills. JVS
helped secure both her first job
and her employment at Actiondata,
where she was promoted to claims
analyst within her first year.
"Tatyana is our most trusted
employee," said her supervisor,
Norman Pare. "She makes key
decisions and requires minimal
supervision. She is definitely a
leader and makes decisions on her
own. Her work ethic earned her the
nomination,". adds Pare.
Impressed by Levina's success,
Actiondata, based in Southfield, has
since hired 12 other New Americans.
Levina and the other JVS hon-
orees, George A. Baldwin of
Plymouth and Raymond Henley and
Debra Foster, both of Detroit, were
honored at the JVS Str tly Business
luncheon at the Hyatt-Regency
Hotel in L earborn. Although none
of the four individual honorees were
Jewish, their selection represented
the diversity of the organization
which operates upon Jewish values
of equal opportunity, compassion
and responsibility.

A

Non-Sectarian

JVS is a non-profit, non-sectarian
agency based in Southfield serving
employers and job seekers in metro-
politan Detroit. It provides job-
training skills for a variety of indi-
viduals.
Their employers nominated the
honorees, all placed in employment by

6/8

2001

68

EMPLOYEE
1 10111

JVS honors four of its clients who have earned

high marks from their employers.

administrative assistant.
Henley came to JVS for help when
he was between jobs. His counselors
helped him acquire computer skills
and referred him to the synagogue. He
has been there for two years.
Dr. Bruce D. Friedman, of the
Michigan State University College of
Osteopathic Medicine Statewide
Campus System and a Detroit-based
board member of the synagogue, said
Henley is a "conscientious and dedi-
cated employee whose performance far
exceeds the job responsibilities.
Extremely humble, he would never
admit that his influence can be seen
among the entire congregation. He
keeps the Downtown Synagogue a
clean and friendly place to come wor-
ship."

Career Change

event sponsor.
JVS, and a committee of community
"As well as serving as a fund-raiser
volunteers selected the winners.
for JVS, Strictly Business was created
At the luncheon last month, attend-
to increase the business and general
ed by more than 500 business and
communities' awareness of the
community leaders, the 2001 JVS
organization and the services
Business Leadership Award was pre-
offered," Nurenberg said. "At the
sented to United Parcel Service. "We
Strictly Business event, we showcase
are proud to partner with this compa-
the employment success
ny through Detroit's Work
stories that come from a
Place, a division of JVS,"
number of partnerships
said Barbara Nurenberg,
Guest sp eaker Peter
president and chief executive Pestillo with honoree that exist between JVS
and local businesses.
officer of JVS.
Raymon d Henley,
"Our results have been
JVS maintains a presence JVS boa rd member
very
impressive and
with an office on
Liz Kan ter Groskind
Woodward -near the Detroit and hon orees Debra demonstrate to other
employers in the audience
Medical Center, making
Foster, Ta tyana
how JVS can be an excel-
them the last Jewish agency Levina a nd Geroge
lent source for meeting
with a Detroit location.
Baldwin
their hiring and overall
JVS also has facilities in
employment needs. From
Warren and West
our perspective, we can
Bloomfield. Detroit's Work
better serve our program participants
Place has two branches, one down-
town and the other near the New
with their job search when more
Center area.
companies come to us with job
Lila Lazarus of WDIV-TV was mis-
openings."
Raymond Henley, who lost a leg
tress of ceremonies for the luncheon,
to cancer when he was 14, works at
and Peter J. Pestillo, chairman and
the Isaac Agree Downtown
CEO of Visteon Corp., was keynote
Synagogue in Detroit where he is
speaker. Kenwal Steel Corp. was the

.

George Baldwin's life plan was shat-
tered when declining student enroll-
ments caused him to lose his job as a
schoolteacher nearly 20 years ago. He
came to JVS and with their help
secured a sales position.
But Baldwin became a victim of
the recession of the early 1990s and
returned to JVS. He participated in
the Corporate Opportunities
Program, designed for highly skilled
unemployed professionals looking for
a new job or career direction.
Baldwin attended employment
workshops, seminars and networking
groups to improve his job search skills.
Through the assistance of JVS, he
accepted his current position at
CleanNet of Greater Michigan, Inc.,
in Troy, where he is now the firm's
leading sales executive.
After her husband and son died, life
was not easy for Debra Foster. She and
her seven other children were living in
poverty made worse by her struggle
with substance abuse. She eliminated
her drug dependency and took charge
of her life.
Foster attended the JVS Work First
Program, tailored to help people move
from public assistance to self-sufficien-
cy. A JVS job counselor helped her
learn job-seeking skills. She found a
job, and was later hired as a "house
person" at Downtown Courtyard by
Marriott in Detroit.
Foster is pfoud that her family can
now depend upon her. She continues
to attend JVS Work First program-
ming to support her long-term
employment goals. Said her supervisor,
Janis Bolton, "I hope she stays with
the Marriott for a long time." ❑

