i\ROUND TOW

H

Rub-A-Dub

and hats, yellow signs
and caution tape
greeted more than 400
people at this year's Rub-A-Dub
fundraiser for ORT. A manne-
quin on a ladder even appeared
to be painting a wall high
above the crowd as partygoers
mingled, enjoyed hors d'oeuvres
and placed bids on silent auc-
tion items at the Franklin Hills
Country Club in Farmington
Hills.
While the construction zone
wasn't real, it symbolized the
renovation ORT is undergoing.
The men's and women's chap-
ters are joining forces. That's
why the theme of Aug. 17 event
was "Extreme Makeover, ORT
Edition."
"We've been trying to get
this marriage going for a long
time," said Sandy Shecter of
Farmington Hills, past president
of the Detroit chapter of Women's
American ORT.
"It's very confusing in the
community to have the separate
organizations, Shecter said. "It's
difficult for fundraising, and we
didn't seem unified."
Detroit is the first city in the •
country to merge the men's and
women's chapters of ORT. The
goal remains the same — edu-
cating 300,000 students in 60
countries, including at Detroit's
own Hermelin ORT Resource
Center in West Bloomfield. ORT
schools provide technical and
vocational training with the goal
of empowering people to become
self-sufficient.
"We give people an opportuni-
ty to better themselves:' Shecter
said.
"I think that's the most power-
ful gift we can give them," added
Laura Gorosh of Birmingham,
who co-chaired the event along
with Brad "Bubba" Urdan of
West Bloomfield.
This year's fundraiser was the
largest in Rub-A-Dub's 23-year
history, bringing in more than
$400,000. The event got its name,
and its start, in the Bingham
Farms garage of the late philan-
thropist and ambassador David
Hermelin, a past president of
ORT's Detroit chapter. A group of

32

August 24 • 2006

Combined forces net
$400,000-plus for
ORT schools.

friends gathered at the Hermelin
home with hundreds of instant
lottery tickets to rub off the silver
foil. What started
as a social event
has become ORT's
premiere annual
fundraiser.
"I'm thrilled to
see how it's grown:'
said honorary chair
Doreen Hermelin
as she looked around
the crowd. "The
younger generation
has really taken over.
I would like to see
my generation come
back to it, too."
"It's our best turnout ever:'
said Sharon Eisenshtadt of
Bloomfield Hills, co-chair of the
silent auction along with David
Colburn of West Bloomfield.
"This is our first joint venture,
and it's been outstanding."
Also new this year were
corporate sponsors who under-
wrote the entire event. They
included: Rock Financial, Bank
of Birmingham, LaSalle Bank,
Title Source, Fifth Third Bank,
the Somerset Collection, Tapper's
Diamonds and Fine Jewelry
and Platinum — IN's lifestyle
magazine.
As the crowd enjoyed din-
ner and a live auction outside
overlooking the Franklin Hills
grounds, they got a special thank
you from two Israelis, Noa Ofir,
21, of Even Yehuda and Shaylee
Cioban, 26, of Nazareth Illit. The
women are part of Federation's
Israeli exchange program at
Camp Tamarack in Ortonville.
Ofir, a former Israel Defense
Forces tank instructor, said she
lost a good friend during the
recent fighting in Lebanon.
"We know that we must stay
strong and survive, but the price
is far too high," Ofir said.
Organizers said three ORT
schools in Israel took direct hits

iN

from Hezbollah missile strikes,
and several other ORT schools
were used to house.families who
had to flee their
homes.
"People are
feeling very close
and responsible
for one another,"
said ORT Director,
Michelle Passon
of Commerce. "I'm
sure that's part of
the reason we've
gotten so much sup-
port."
Spotted in the
Rub-A-Dub crowd
were: Keith Lublin, Nicole
Muchnick and Jordan Glass,
all of West Bloomfield; Lisa and
Howard Brown of Franklin;
Jeanne and Leo Maxbauer,
Jodi and Adam Becker,
Lowell Salesin, Nicole
Eisenberg, Aaron Chernow
and Anessa and David
Kramer, all of Bloomfield
Hills; Steven Tapper of
Orchard Lake; Amy and Jeff
Schlussel, Rachel and Jason
Zimmerman and Gayle and
Lorne Gold, all of Huntington
Woods; and David Jacobson
and Sheri Wagner, both of
Birmingham. E

Dr. Robert and Dasi Brent of Bloomfield Hills

Larry Miller of Bloomfield Hills with Nicole and Bobby Muchnick of

West. Bloomfield

Dr. Conrad Giles and Jeanne and Leo Maxbauer, all of Bloomfield

Hills, and Gene Curtis of West Bloomfield

•

David Colburn of West

Erica and Jenifer Colburn of

Hillary and Stuart Borman of

Bloomfield and Nicole

West Bloomfield

Birmingham

Eisenshtadt of Bloomfield Hills