Community e' ART HOUSE A CARING SOUL from page 35 ja%t 111c,e. Marvel aged. to irdakt Ne,,01 E de d Locatoll ,xpali orig,:aai) door 1SZ OFF ONE ITEM WITH AD 28851 Orchard Lake Bet. 12 & 13 Mi. ( 2 4 8 )3 2 4 - 1 1 1 1 ARTHOUSESTUDIOS.COM S UAL EM OR 1 ES PHOTOGRAPHY r Give a Gift of Love r FULL SERVICE STUDIO • Weddings • Bat Mitzvah • Bar Mitzvah • Children • Families COMPLETE WEDDING & BAR-BAT MITZVAH COVERAGES STARTING AT $1995 Phone (248) 960-6121 1480 religion and spirituality." His work led to invitations to speak on television shows like Donahue and Good Morning America. "No one else was doing this," he says. . Soon, people suggested he write a book about children and loss. And he did. In 1992, A Candle for Grandpa came out. In 1999, he produced the Emmy-award winning documentary Generation to Generation — Jewish Families Talk about Death by Sue Marx. Techner says he's pleased when peo- ple tell him, "You took me around when my grandfather died. Now I'd like you to take my grandchild around." His warmth and easy-going manner have aided generations of people in and outside of the Jewish community in times of crisis. This work and much more led Council to choose Techner for their third annual "Activist of the Year" award. "David has touched the lives of so many families," says David Gad-Harf, Council executive director. "His expression of humanity has focused on people of all ages and backgrounds — from young children battling cancer to those who are in the final stage of life. He personifies the highest ideals of the Jewish community through his exten- sive community service." On a more personal note, Rabbi E.B. "Bunny" Freedman, executive director of Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, who has traveled on many occasions with Techner to Israel, adds, "David's career at the Kaufman Chapel involves such serious issues. Yet everything he does, he does with such elan, spirit, humor and posi- tiveness. He has an amazing way of bringing people in." The Other David SALE 25 YEARS 25% OFF x „,v o F v3 In-stock knitting yarns and one-of-a-kind, hand-knit sweaters. -ROCULLE 111143-E-R'S rs Orchard Mall • W. Bloomfield 855-2114 www. knitkni tknit . corn 36 FAXIIXIOOXEW 7)0 X46)0 E5CL Techner's family, however, including wife, Ilene, 50, and children, Avi, 24, Chad, 22, and Stephanie, 17, — his most avid supporters — want the community to know another side of their husband and father. "I've always known all my father's done for the community," says Avi Techner of Corvallis, Ore. "People have come up to me on numerous occasions and said, 'So, youre David Techner's son. I don't know what I'd have done without him during this difficult time ... 1 "He's a wonderful man and very selfless, but I want everyone to know that he's never neglected — not in the slightest — his family. He's always there for me. He's the first person I call for advice. I try to emulate him." His wife, Ilene, agrees, "I don't know how he does it. He's giving his wonderful creative talents and lots and lots of time. He receives a sense of sat- isfaction and has wonderful relation- ships with communities around the . world that have enriched our lives as well." She says her husband also has been very supportive of her work, from the free aftercare service she provides for families at the Ira Kaufman Chapel to running her own business doing remodeling, additions and new con- structions. Some of David Techner's other involvements include serving on the boards of York Children's Foundation, the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, Partnership 2000 of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and the Jewish Sports Foundation. He has also been a mem- ber of the boards of Children's Hospice of Michigan, Temple Israel, the Anti-Defamation League- Michigan Region and Jewish Family Service. In 1989, Techner became the youngest president of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association. Lessons From Hardships Things have not always been easy, says Techner, and he's not complaining. Growing up in Oak Park, he got his sense of involvement in high school by working, he says. "My parents weren't wealthy and in the summers when many of my friends went to camp or traveled, I was working. And when I wasn't working I was involved in extra- curricular activities. I always had -a sense of involvement." His involvement deepened while working at the Ira Kaufman Chapel, he says, when he had the opportunity to meet the Detroit Jewish communi- ty- "This is an amazing community that taught me a sense of cohesion, and I learned a lot about Judaism and the gifts we have in this town," he says. "We're the gold standard in giving." A most difficult time for the Techners was the loss of their first child, 8-month-old daughter Alicia, 25 years ago. Yet, even here, they have found important life lessons that not only strengthened them but initiated a gift to the community. "Alicia taught us the biggest lesson, the gift of being a parent," Techner says. "When you lose that privilege to a sudden death you never take parent- ing for granted again." In tribute, the Techners established the Alicia Joy Techner Memorial Parenting Conference at Temple Israel, dedicated to improving parenting skills and family life. One of the many speakers included well-known baby doctor Benjamin Spock, who gave his last speech at a Techner conference. Ilene Techner says David's honesty helped get her through difficult times. She says he is honest to their relation- ship, the community and to himself. For example, she says, when he had testicular cancer, it was therapeutic for him to open up about it, and he would do things like talk to high school boys as a result of facing things directly. "He was a model for me that helped when our daughter died," Ilene says. "And that deepened our relationship by developing a good way to commu- nicate with each other." Love Of Israel With all of Techner's involvements, Israel is clearly a priority. When asked his most memorable experience, he says, "The first time at the Western Wall with my family." Since then Techner has been to Israel on numerous missions, and on Partnership 2000 trips to the Central Galilee to help develop the Milton and Lois Shiffman Home Hospice of the Valleys there. "David is a great visionary," says Rabbi Freedman, who attributes his own "significant career change" as head of Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network to Techner. "Here's how he works," Rabbi Freedman says. Techner wanted him to see first hand the good work done at Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem, so he planned an extra day to their visit to tour it. Since then, the rabbi says he's become a great friend of the hospital. "If David calls and says, 'Bunny, we're going to see something today.' I'm going! I know I'll be very interest- ed." El The Jewish Community Council will present David Techner with its Activist of the Year Award at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at Temple Emanu-El. Guest speaker is Gov. Jennifer Granholm. No charge and open to the communi- ty; RSVP to (248) 642-5393.