the Sept. 11 attack on the World
with her family near the front.
Trade Centers in New York City.
The choir began.
"Our hearts are full," said Karen,
"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's
i who grew up in Southfield, as she
early light ... Hundreds of little voices
accepted the check.
began filling the room. Many of the
Long before the program, however,
guests already were in tears.
there was an idea.
The children sang two more songs,
The school's principal was among the
the upbeat "Let's Hear It For America"
first to get the ball rolling, as was
and "You Are What Makes America
Pleasant Lake Elementary librarian
Great." Then came presentations.
Carol Ernst, the school's head teacher
"The day we got the letter [from Mr.
Laurel Kibiloski, band director Matt
Dale] my Mom asked me what I want-
Horn, and teachers and friends like
ed to do," one kindergartner called into
Julie Gelzayd, Debbie Megdall, Jodi
the microphone. "I said, 'A lemonade
Neff and Linda Markowitz.
stand.'"
Their idea was to
So they made a
help the victims of
stand and decorated
9-11, but not just to
it and "we stayed out
ask for a donation
there for about 3 1/2
and be done with it.
hours." Then they
Instead, they wanted
collected spare
to encourage chil-
change from whoever
i dren to find ways
came to their house.
they could help,
By the end, she said,
then let them see for
"we had collected
themselves exactly
$2,000."
what their efforts
"I think you mean
could accomplish.
$175," someone
Step number one
politely corrected.
was the letter, the
"Oh, right," the
one which inspired
girl said, smiling.
Ari's musical per-
A first-grader asked
formances "I'd like
all his family to con-
to be a singer when
tribute something.
I grow up," he said.
His brother gave up
('N Sync is his
money he was going
favorite) "Also, I
to use to see a movie.
want to be a come-
His teacher had
: dian."
talked about what it
The second step was finding the right
means to be a hero, the first-grader
family to whom the money should be
added. "We decided we could be heroes
donated. There was just one condition,
ourselves."
all agreed: it needed to go to someone
One student helped her mother clean
with Detroit ties. One connection lead
the garage to earn money; another put
to another and another and
on a show "with magic tricks
finally to Judy and Sydney
my parents brought home from
Weinstein.
Las Vegas." Others found lost
PI easant
Mr. and Mrs. Weinstein, of
golf balls and sold them, raising
Lake
West Bloomfield, had a son-
$50.67. "The golfers," a stu-
Ele mentary
: in-law, Ken Simon, who had
dent
said, "were very generous."
st udents
worked on the 104th floor in
Just before the students pre-
per form for
Building One of the WTC.
sented their donation —
the Simons.
Ken, the husband of the
$7,659.90 — to Mrs. Simon,
Weinstein's daughter, Karen,
pictures of Kenneth Simon and
was killed in the Sept. 11 attack.
his family were projected onto a screen.
Linda Markowitz and Jodi Neff knew
Many showed Ken and his daughter,
Judy Weinstein through Temple Israel.
Maya. The students especially loved one
"She was my daughter's first nursery
of Ken riding inside a blue tea cup at
school teacher," Linda said.
Universal Studios in Florida, just
Last Thursday, students began filing
months before his death.
into the cafeteria at Pleasant Lake
As Mrs. Simon accepted the check,
Elementary School. They wore red,
she said, "Maya is so lucky to have 600
white and blue shirts — many decorat-
brothers and sisters looking out for
ed with American flag pins, some with
her."
vests bearing the colors of the flag,
"We hope you come back to visit"
some with their faces appropriately
the Pleasant Lake students told the
painted in red, white and blue.
dark-haired toddler, who sat quietly
On the walls were three American
throughout the presentation. They also
flags: two huge ones in the front, anoth-
plan to continue raising money
er small one at back. Karen Simon and
throughout the year to help Karen and
her daughter, 7-month-old Maya, sat
Maya.

❑

A Family

Grieves

Mourning a man who loved his family,
juggling and life.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor

had a way about him that
made everyone. feel cOmfort-
able."
Ken loved roller coasters
and making chocolate-chip
pancakes. "He was a big kid."
He also loved juggling,
believing it helped children
learn to concentrate, not to
mention being a lot of fun.
In his memory, Karen and
her family are donating jug-
gling balls to every child at
Pleasant Lake School, and
have arranged a presentation
by the National Jugglers'
Association, of which Ken was
a member.
After Ken and Karen were
married, only one thing was
missing from their lives: a

114,1 hen she went to
New York, Judy
Weinstein spent
a great deal of
time looking at the faces of
people she will never know.
They are the photos of the
men, women and children
believed to have been killed in
the World Trade Center
attacks. Families, desperate for
information, taped the photos
to boards near the World
Trade Center and asked, "If
you have seen this person,
please contact us."
Mrs. Weinstein, of West
Bloomfield, was enduring her
own agony when
she went to New
York: her son-in-
law, Kenneth
Simon, was among
those missing. But
still she looked at
all the others.
"How could you
not?" she said.
"You have to. You
have to honor
them this way."
Only three years
earlier, Mrs.
Weinstein had
watched as her
daughter, Karen,
married the man of
her dreams, a man
of this city.
Kenneth Simon
Kenneth and Karen Simon with
was a New Yorker.
their daughter, Maya.
Born in Brooklyn,
he grew up in
Rockland County,
N.Y., and graduated from the
child. They tried many times,
State University of New York
unsuccessfully, to adopt. Then
in Binghamton. Karen was
they went to Florida, to watch
from Michigan and had been
Ken's sister graduate from col-
raised in Southfield.
lege. They decided to take an
extended vacation, which
The two starte I seeing each
other after Karen dated Ken's
included a trip to Universal
best friend, then broke up.
Studios, and Ken said, "There
She knew that Ken was
will be a baby waiting for us
extraordinary. She had told
when we go home." Two days
him: "You're a really good
after Ken and Karen got back
catch."
home in May, they learned
Ken Simon was, she said, a
that Maya had been born, and
she-was theirs.
genuine man, a kind person,
"serious when he had_to, be,
Maya and Karen were every-
thing - Ken wanted in life.
but he loved to have
iiii n. He
A FAMILY GRIEVES on page 84

12/21
2001

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