To Life!

All-Night Party

High school grad leads relay team to combat cancer.

L

Shelli Liebman Dorfman

Staff Writer

fizzy Lovinger discovered the
perfect way to combine her phi-
losophy to not ask for what she
doesn't need — with a sincere desire to
contribute toward cancer awareness and
research. .
The merger will result in a unique, 24-
hour-long, high school graduation party,
to be held during this year's American
Cancer Society Relay for Life.
"I am privileged to have so much
already:' said 18-year-old Lizzy, who will
graduate from North Farmington High
School on June 4. "Asking my friends to
`attend the Relay and make a donation to
the cancer society instead of giving me
gifts was the perfect opportunity to help
get funds to where they are much needed."

ay For Life

of West Bloomfield

Lizzy Lovinger: feels privileged

32

May 25 • 2006

iN

Her plan is for guests to attend the 10
a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday, June 10-
11, fund-raising event at West Bloomfield
High School. The Relay is held'annually as
a celebration of survivorship and a memo-
rial to those who were lost to cancer.
In the midst of a party-like atmosphere
with ongoing music and fun, a continu-
ous relay — including teams like Lizzy's
Relay Raiders who have fund-raised for
the opportunity to walk or run the track
— keeps moving for the entire 24 hours.
As captain of the team, which is a union
of the North Farmington High team and
Lizzy's party-going friends and family,
Lizzy hopes guests will dance and hang
out, munching on food in the large tent
ordered for the occasion.
"My sister is making a cake for me, so
there will be a nice little cake cutting;' said
Lizzy of Farmington Hills.

A Way Of Life
Lizzy is no stranger to
giving. "At her sweet 16
party, she said she has
everything she needs and
asked guests to make
donations to Magen
David Adom," said her
mom, Karen. "In addition
to being a 4.0 student she
has been involved in a lot
of charities:'
Lizzy's social action
involvement — includ-
ing volunteering at
Congregation Shaarey
Zedek's soup kitchen
and the Friendship
Circle and working as a
special-needs inclusion
counselor at the Jewish
Community Center —
helped her attain a com-
munity service award
from Farmington Youth
Assistance.
And Lizzy — who will
attend the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor
in the fall — is no novice
to raising both funds and
awareness for agencies
that help others. During
a high school semester

spent in Israel last year, she participated
in a bike ride to benefit Alyn Pediatric
Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in
Israel.
Her work to help children with cancer
began when her sister Lauren's friend Alex
Graham was diagnosed when Lizzy was
just a young child. Alex died in 1999.
"Alex is the reason my whole family
got started with the Relay:' said Lizzy. "We
all really became involved in the Make-
A-Wish Foundation of Michigan (MAW)
and the American Cancer Society. We were
amazed to learn about what they do and
the wonderful organizations they are." In
Alex's memory, Lizzy's family — includ-
ing dad, Allan, and sisters Alyssa Aguilar,
33, Stephanie Lovinger, 29, and Lauren
Lovinger, 25 — have also been involved
in the MAW Wish-A-Mile 300-mile fund-
raising bicycle tour as riders and volun-
teers.
"Seeing Lizzy want to do so much for
others gives me such nachas," said her
morn, a member of the Ali-Gators relay
team, headed by Graham's mom, Susie.
"It's a wonderful thing to watch."
Said Lizzy, "Alex is the reason we got
started attending the Relay. Now, I want
to encourage other people to attend
also. It's hardly like asking someone to
come to a boring fund-raiser," she said.
"When I invited my friends and family it
was because I know we can raise funds
together and still have a lot of fun at this
big celebration of life."

For information on the
10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m.

Sunday, June 10-11, Relay for Life
at West Bloomfield High School,.
or to make a donation by phone,
call the American Cancer Society
at (248) 557-5353; to make a
donation by mail, send a check
to the American Cancer Society,
18505 W.12 Mile, Sduthfield, MI
48076, or to donate online visit:
www.kintera.org/faf/home/default .
asp?ievent=133425.
Type in "Lizzy Lovinger" to make a
donation through Lizzy's team.

71111111111111111111111•1

New Board Installed

The Women's
Campaign
and Education
Department
of the Jewish
Federation of
Metropolitan
Detroit recently
elected and
Susie Pappas
installed offi-
cers and mem-
bers of the Women's Board. Completing
her two-year term as president, Sandra
Schwartz was recognized for outstanding
service.
Incoming officers are president, Susie
Pappas; campaign vice president, Susie
Citrin; education vice presidents., Joan
Chernoff Epstein, Lori Garon, Amy
Schlussel and Leah Trosh; correspond-
ing secretary, Cookie Gonik; recording
secretary, Mindy Soble; designates to
Federation's Board of Governors, Nancy
Glass Kanat and Abbe Binder Sherbin.

Innovative Synagogue

Congregation Kehillat Israel, a Lansing
Reconstructionist congregation, has
been awarded a $30,000 grant from the
Legacy Heritage Foundation to support
its Havdalah Candle Initiative, an inter-
connected series of programs and activi-
ties to foster intergenerational Jewish
education and synagogue visioning and
development.
An'additional award of $5,000 will
be given to Rabbi Michael Zimmerman,
spiritual leader at Kehillat Israel, who has
been designated as educational innovator
for the project. These funds will be used
for professional development and training.
The Legacy Heritage Foundation is a
new foundation dedicated to enhanc-
ing contemporary Jewish life through
funding innovative programs for senior
citizens, supporting congregational initia-
tives and enabling both young leaders
and selected teenage science students to
study in Israel.
The Legacy Heritage Innovation Grant
is being awarded for the first time this
year; 28 congregations have been selected.
Kehillat Israel's Havdalah Candle
Initiative will include a cross-generational
oral history project, in-home communi-
tywide Shabbat meals with home-based
intergenerational learning, monthly cul-
tural programs, the creation of an online
learning community and a synagogue
foster grandparent program.
The yearlong initiative will formally
begin in early June, after a leadership
seminar in New York.

