Cover Story
SIGN OF THE TIMES from page 63
Top: Meals on Wheels cook
Jeff Rosenberg finishes
preparations for a food
delivery, aided by volunteers,
clockwise from left, Fay
Genden, 74, of Oak Park,
Rhoda Rosin, 84, of Detroit,
Magda Raimi, almost 100
and Iby Centeri, 80, both of
Oak Park.
Right: Raimi and good friend
Centeri mark dietary
information on soup covers.
11/22
2002
64
Shaarey Zedek, when both were located in Detroit.
In 1891, the Jewish Women's Club of Temple
Beth El was formed, later known as the Jewish
Women's Club of Detroit. This organization, in
1925, became the National Council of Jewish
Women Detroit Section (now Greater Detroit
Section). This group, in turn, created Meals on
Wheels 25 years ago in Oak Park.
Today, these organizations birthed by volunteers
are in need of volunteers — a more precious com-
modity than in years past, mostly because the way
people use their time has changed.
"The whole nature of volunteerism is very differ-
ent," says Andrea Asarch, director of Meals on
Wheels. "It's not the tzedakah (righteous acts) of my
childhood. I didn't know you didn't do volunteer
work; I didn't know there was an option to generosity.
Spontaneous generosity seems to be disappearing."
Robert Aronson, chief executive officer of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, puts it
another way.
"The role of volunteers has changed dramatically
over the past 20 years," Aronson says. "In the past,
volunteers were responsible for all fund-raising for
Jewish organizations. Today's volunteer demands
something very different. They have less time and
less interest in picking out the color of tablecloths.
They now want fewer meetings and more focused
agendas and leave more of the operation to the
[paid] professionals.
"Especially with the younger generation, men and
women want their time to be well spent and expect
the professional to guide them and to provide lead-
ership for them," he says.
Organizations that understand these new trends
continue to grow. Those that don't adapt, end up
struggling and sometimes have to shut down.
For example, the annual Brandeis University Book
Sale sold its last book last year.
"Though the sale of books did well, the older vol-
unteers didn't know how to recruit — reach out and
train younger ones to take over the volunteer work,"
says Micki Grossman of Farmington Hills, a long-
time volunteer who won one of this year's United
Way Community Services Heart of Gold Award.
She says the older volunteers running the book sale
"also weren't flexible with the times people could
work."
However, the idea of recycling and selling used
books was so good that it's been revived for next
year as a fund-raiser for Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit, the Jewish Academy of
Metropolitan Detroit and literacy programs of the
Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan
Detroit. That book sale is scheduled for May 18-21
at Laurel Park Place in Livonia.
In contrast to the Brandeis University situation is
that of Yad Ezra. Michigan's only kosher food pantry
recently moved into a new $1.25 million warehouse
in Berkley and has a growing volunteer base.
"We're successful because we recognize the impor-
tance of the family buying into this cause," says Yad
Ezra co-director Lea Luger. Yad Ezra, she says, relies on
a core of 124 committed volunteers who enable a small
staff of five to fi.rlfill its mission. Additionally, the organ-