Teens

Youngsters
help spice
Valentine's
Day for
people
afflicted
with HIV.

LISA FEIN
Special to the Jewish News

ewish teens and pre-teens pitched in Sunday so
that people with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) would not miss out on Valentine's
Day, Feb. 14.
JARC's Eugene and Mignon Kraft social action com-
mittee, a group of men and women served by the
Farmington Hills-based social service agency for people
with disabilities, have sponsored the "Heart to Heart"
Valentine's Day program for six years. This year was the
first time that JARC invited local younger participants.
JARC's teen volunteer program is funded by a grant
from the Community Foundation for Southeastern
Michigan.
Working from JARC's Paul and Louis Katzman
Administration Building on Northwestern Highway in
Farmington Hills, the crew crafted 200 colorful gift
bags and filled them with homemade cards, candy,
crayons, mini-notebooks and stuffed animals.
"My bar mitzvah is coming up soon," said West
Bloomfield's Jordan Stay, 12, who attended the event
with his mother, Sheri. "Even though I have finished
my mitzvah projects, this was something I wanted to
do. It makes me feel good."
Southfield's Jenny Baldwin also lent a hand. "I found
out about this event through my roommate, who is
served by JARC. It is so much fun. I love doing things
like this. It gives me a good feeling to help other peo-
ple. I have been blessed in many ways and want to give
back"
Every year, the gift bags are given to Children's
Immune Disorder (CID), a Detroit-based agency serv-
ing women, teens and children who live with AIDS
(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) or are HIV
positive.

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2002

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dren are orphans, or will soon be."
She said CID offers grief counseling, emotional sup-
port and legal services on a limited budget. It operates
with five paid employees plus volunteers.
Reflecting on JARC's involvement with "Heart to
Heart," staff member Leslie Cohen said: "People
often think of those with disabilities as 'takers'. This
project highlights their abilities by allowing them to
give back to the community. They are able to work
side by side, on equal footing, with the teens for a
higher purpose." 111

Oak Park's Richard Graff, a JARC social action com-
mittee member, has worked on "Heart to Heart" from
the beginning. "We started this program so no one
would be forgotten on Valentine's Day," he said. "We
want to make someone's day a little brighter."
Leslie Cohen, a University of Michigan social work
intern at JARC, said CID was chosen because it's small
and could otherwise be overlooked.
Shoshana Rubenstein, a Schetzer Independent Living
social worker at JARC, said, "The people that are serv-
iced by CID are low income and have HIV The chil-

Clockwise from top:
Jordan Stay, his mother, Sheri, and Jenny Baldwin
make Valentine cards to include in the gift bags.

Ashley Sterly, 15, of Madison Height, and Miles
Neumann, 12, of Bloomfield Hills make Valentine's
Day cards.

JARC social action committee member Richard
Graff helps make gift bags.

