To Life!

AROUND TOWN

Sandi Tamaroff of

West Bloomfield

and Steve Solomon

D

ROBIN
SCHWARTZ

Special to the
Jewish News

Comedy night
delivers a
cash bonus to
Kadima.

26

etroit's Max M. Fisher
Music Center echoed
with laughter — and
that was music to the ears of
comedian Steve Solomon. Some
1,100 people filled the seats of
Orchestra Hall for a special per-
formance of Solomon's one-
man show, "My Mother's Italian,
My Father's Jewish and I'm in
Therapy"
The show, which will open on
Broadway in October 2006, was
part of a benefit for the
Southfield-based mental health
agency Kadima.
The night of Jewish humor
delivered by a "member of the
tribe" was the biggest fund-rais-
er of the year for Kadima. The
organization raised $300,000 to
$400,000 for its counseling,
employment, housing and
socialization services for people
with mental illness.
"I think Kadima is very help-
ful to a lot of people said
Shelly Walters, a resident of
Kadima's new Jerome family
home in Oak Park.
The private home allows
clients to live in a family-type
environment where they share

responsibilities while receiving
support services from Kadima.
The agency provides group
homes with 24-hour staff
supervision, and transitional
housing where clients are
taught skills that help them
move onto more independent
living.
"I think having a lot of
people around me is a
good environment for
me Walters said.
"People with mental
illness sometimes are
pushed aside and it's
wrong;' said Kadima
board member Melissa
Shulman of
Birmingham. "Kadima
gives people their lives
back."
"It's people who are
involved doing from their
heart:' said fellow board mem-
ber Sandi Tamaroff of West
Bloomfield, her eyes welling up
with tears. "It touches a lot of
people's lives and their fami-
lies."
Added Kadima's executive
director Janette Shallal of
Southfield, "A lot of our clients

would be homeless or might
be in jail. Our organization
is a safe place, a kind place
— we really do improve
quality of life."
Spotted among the crowd
at the Sept. 20 comedy night
and benefit were: Event co-
chairs Arlene and John

Counter clockwise from
above:

Arlene and John Redfield of
Bloomfield Hills

Laura and Mark Adler of

West Bloomfield and Craig

Menuck and Jeffrey and

Marla Kaftan, all of
Birmingham

Boris Ayzin of Beverly Hills
and Myron Stein of

Southfield

Redfield of Bloomfield
Hills, Michael Kratchman
of Bloomfield Hills,
Rachael and Kane
Polakoff of West
Bloomfield, Michele and
Eli Saulson of Franklin,
Jeff and Marla Kaftan and
Leslie and Rob Stone of
Birmingham.

October 13 . 2005