To Life!
AROUND TOWN
A Special
Circle
Gifts auction for women benefits
Meer Family Friendship Center.
T
Above: Robin Trepeck,
Lauren Slutsky, Lonnee
Cohen and Nancy Stone,
all of Huntington Woods
Above: Stephanie
Perry of
Bloomfield Hills
and Marla Jacobs
of Huntington
Woods
Rachel Karp, Debbie Pearlman
and Maggie Egrin, all of
Huntington Woods
Below: Debbie Pearlman,
Rachel Karp and Maggie
Barbi Stalburg Bell
Egrin, all of Huntington
of Birmingham
Woods
designed rooms where
he Friendship
special needs children
Circle expanded
can do art projects,
its circle of
learn life skills, and
friends on March 9
just
enjoy being
during a party that was
children.
Among the
like a housewarming, .
rooms
are
a gym
a cocktail party and a
with
a
huge
built-in
surprise party all rolled
trampoline,
a
sensory
into one.
environment
with
calm-
i
n
Rob
About35 women
ing
fiber
optic
lights,
and
artz
Schw
gathered at the new
a
water
activity
room
nist
Colum
Meer Family Friendship
filled with shower heads
Center in West
and
sprinklers.
Bloomfield bearing wrapped
"Whenever I give a tour I get
gifts for a "package party." The
the most unbelievable reac-
gifts were later auctioned off to
tions': said Bassie Shemtov of
raise money for the non-profit
West Bloomfield, the Friendship
group that helps families of chil-
Circle's programming director.
dren with special needs.
"It's so much fun how people are
"No one knows what's inside
excited to see it."
the packages they're bidding
Friendship Circle chap-
of
Maggie
Egrin
on," said
ters
from Montreal, Toronto,
Huntington Woods.
California and New Jersey have
She hosted the party along
visited and expressed interest in
with Rachel Karp and Debbie
building similar facilities in their
both
also
from
Pearlman,
communities.
Huntington Woods.
After the tours, the women
"That adds to the mystery and
mingled
in the Weinberg Village,
excitement of the evening."
a life-like replica of a real town.
Most of the women who
They enjoyed wine and cheese
attended got the biggest sur-
while Cary Heller of Farmington
prise when they walked in the
Hills played a trumpet. The event
door. Few had ever seen the $5
raised $5,000 for the Friendship
million state-of-the-art facil-
Circle.
ity that opened in September
"This place is really special;'
of 2005. The group toured the
said Rache1Karp of Huntington
. building and learned about the
Woods. "We're excited to have
support services and programs
our friends here and show them
the Friendship Circle provides.
The organization was founded in what a place like this does for the
1994 by Lubavitch Foundation of community."
Spotted in the crowd were
Michigan, a branch of Chabad-
Nancy
Stone, Sheryl Wolberg,
Lubavitch.
Lonee Cohen and Jennifer
"I've never seen a facility so
Dudovitz, all of Huntington
beautifully thought out:' said
Woods; Sherrie Singer, Erica
Abby Kushner of Huntington
Yaker and Stephanie Kushner,
Woods. "Everybody should know
all of West Bloomfield; Darcy
about this place, everybody's got
Eisenberg of Bloomfield Hills;
to see this place': Kushner said.
and Nicole Leff and Jocelyn
The Friendship Center build-
Tink, both of Birmingham. E
ing has dozens of uniquely
Abby
Kushner of
Huntington
Woods
and Darcy
Eisenberg of
Bloomfield
Hills
Cary Heller of
Farmington Hills
— a volunteer for
the Friendship
Circle
Erica Yaker and
Stefanie Goldman,
both of West Bloomfie,