Bar -Ilan Hosts
Carl Reiner
Far Left:
Leypsa, Debbie and
Rabbi Irwin Groner
Center:
Ilene and David
Techner at Alyn
Hospital
David Techner visits
with children at
Alyn Hospital.
constraints, had an amazing life —
through the love and opportunities given
to her by her parents. She had an amaz-
ing spirit. I always felt better when I left
her house than when I got there — and
that's how I felt at Alyn."
In that spirit, a special tribute will be
presented in memory of Debbie Groner
at the dinner, which is chaired by Elise
and David Schostak and Sharon and
Lawrence A. Berry. Groner's parents
Rabbi Irwin and Leypsa Groner serve as
honorary tribute chairs along with
Herbert and Babs Kaufman.
"At Alyn, I saw children who knew
they were in a very special place,"
Techner says. "They had the tremendous
privilege of being at Alyn, where they
can feel loved and appreciated and as
whole as possible under physical con-
straints. They realized they were fortu-
nate."
Techner remembers the words of
Rabbi E.B. "Bunny" Freedman, director
of Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy
Network in Southfield, who participated
when Techner visited the hospital. "'One
might look at the children here, with
their injuries, and question if there's a
God.' But then he said, 'If there's an
Alyn, there has to be a God,'" Techner
recalls.
Rabbi Freedman serves as event chair
with his wife Shaindy, and Florine Mark
Ross and Dr. William Ross.
Gina Horwitz says there are two rea-
sons to support Alyn: "Because you have
a child with disabilities — and because
you don't."
"The children at Alyn are kids whose
parents can't take care of them," Techner
says. "Here they have a community.
After my visit, I left there thinking,
`What would these children do if there
wasn't an Alen?'"
Who Are The Techners?
=Ilene Techner holds a bachelor's of science degree from Wayne Stare
University's School of Nursing and has done post-graduate work in child psychi-
atric nursing.
She is founder and director of AfterCare Services at the Ira Kaufman Chapel,
offering no-charge assistance, with issues arising following burial of a loved one.
David Techner calls his wife "an incredible networker, with the ability to
bring people together," including the coordination of regular delivery of unused
food from shivah houses to homeless shelters.
A woman of extreme diversity, she is also an accomplished equestrian and
works with the 4H Variety Handicapped Children's Riding Program, where her
husband and three children also volunteer. She also has a residential builder's
license.
Ilene Techner has been a board member of the Resettlement Services and
Jewish Advisory Board of Hospice of Michigan. She is the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's liaison to the Milton and Lois Shiffman Home Hospice
of the Valleys in Israel. She also serves as president and CEO of ITEC
Enterprises, specializing in home additions and renovations. She is the founder
of the Bereavement Coalition of Metropolitan Detroit, coordinating bereave-
ment support between various synagogues.
•David Techner is a funeral director of Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield, a
member of the National Funeral Directors Associations and was the youngest
president in the more than 100-year-old history of the Michigan Funeral
Directors.
He is on the boards of Kids Kicking Cancer, the York Children's Foundation,
the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, Partnership 2000 and Jewish
Sports Foundation. He also has served on the boards of Jewish Association for
Residential Care, Children's Hospice of Michigan, Temple Israel, the Anti-
Defamation League and Jewish Family Service.
David Techner is the author of the book, A Candle for Grandpa, and the
executive producer and creator of the award-winning film Generation to
Generation —Jewish. Families Talk About Death. As a nationally recognized
expert on the subject of children and death, he has appeared on television pro-
grams including Donahue, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Geraldo
and has spoken extensively at synagogues and professional conferences.
'Together, Ilene and David Techner received the 1999 Circle of Love Award
from Camp Simcha, a camp for children with cancer.
Ilene and David Techner's children are Ari, 22; Chad, 20; and Stephanie, 15.
They established the Alicia Joy Tec h ner Memorial Parenting Conference in
memory of their first child, who died of meningitis at age 8 months. The con-
ference for improvement of parenting skills and family life, has hosted presenters
including "baby doctor" Benjamin Spock, radio talk host Michael Medved and
Steven Ballmer, president and CEO of Microsoft.11`
The annual event of the Detroit Friends
of Bar-Ilan University will feature enter-
tainer and comedian Carl Reiner.
The event will be 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the Seligman
Performing Arts
Center on the
campus of Detroit
Country Day
School in Beverly
Hills. Chairs for
the event are
Rochelle
Lieberman and Eli
Scherr.
The universi-
tv's Detroit event
Carl Reiner
has taken place
since 1956 and
produces funding and leadership. The
university is unique in both requiring
25 percent of each student's curricu-
lum to be in Jewish studies and its
maintenance of a 50-50 ratio between
secular and traditional students. Its
Jewish component is in addition to a
complete research and academic cur-
riculum of excellence.
Jeff Sakwa is playbill chair. Karen
Alpiner and Debbie Muskovitz are
arrangements chairs.
For information and reservations, call
Bar Ilan, (248) 540-8900.
-
Sign Up For
Shofar Factory
Registration is open for the Shofar
Making Factory, part of the annual
Apples & Honey and Lots, Lots More
community-wide program set for 1:30-
4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park.
Shofar making is open to children 8
and older at $10 per shofar.
Theme for the program is "Tikkun
Olam: Repairing the World...Together!"
Children will receive a Tikkun Time
tool belt and will be able to collect tools
needed to repair the world. Scrapbooks
will be given to each family to help track
their programs in repairing the world.
There is no charge.
For shofar reservations, to volunteer
or for information, call Gail Greenberg,
(248) 645 - 7860.
Apples & Honey is co-sponsored by
the Jewish Experiences for Families, a
division of the Agency for Jewish
Education, the Jewish' News and the
Jewish Community Centers of
Metropolitan Detroit.