To Life!

ON THE COV

Coloring
Their
World

Kadima director sees miracles
daily in the lives of Jews with
mental illness.

Kadima clients enjoy a painting class.

Keri Guten Cohen

Story Development Editor

I is Thursday afternoon and
people are gathering near
the kitchen, drawn by the
alluring, unmistakable smell of
garlic.
Ronit Goutkovitch of
Southfield, a native Israeli, is
preparing soup like her mother
used to make on Friday nights.
Now she's passing the Shabbat
tradition down to clients of
Kadima, a non-profit Jewish
agency in Southfield serving
mentally ill adults.

Like its Hebrew name implies,
Kadima helps adults with schizo-
phrenia and bipolar disorders
"move forward" in their lives.
Not only does the agency pro-
vide a Jewish atmosphere that
includes Hebrew classes and gar-
licky chicken soup and candles
at Shabbat dinners, but also
life-enhancing programs that
include art, music, poetry, cook-
ing and writing classes as well as
group homes, support groups for
clients and family, transporta-
tion, counseling, socialization,
supported employment and love.
"The thing about Kadima is

that we provide whatever ser-
vices are needed for our clients
to survive and lead productive
lives:' said Janette Shallal, a social
worker who has been executive
director for nearly 15 years.
Kadima began in 1984, at a
time when state institutions
were closing and conditions in
the adult foster care system were
deplorable, Shallal explained.
Those with mental illness often
were considered "throwaways"
that took to the streets or
ended up in jail. The late Rabbi
Solomon Gruskin wanted the
Jewish community to take care

of its own and was instrumental
in establishing Kadima.
"The agency started with one
group home for six clients, then
kept growing because the need
is so great," Shallal said. "There
is no cure; mental illness is
always there."
Consider that currently 80-90
percent of Americans in home-
less shelters and 45 percent of
those in jail have mental illness.
Kadima serves 175 people
through 19 residential facili-
ties and outreach programs
that also touch their families.
About 85 percent of clients
are Jewish, and 87 percent of
them are employed. Kadima
is not a Jewish Federation or
United Way agency, and most
of its funding comes from the
Oakland County Community
Mental Health Authority, and
the rest from donations.
Partnerships and grants from
within the Jewish community
have served the agency well.
Recently, Federation's Jewish
Women's Foundation granted
$9,000 for a women's project to
prepare clients for employment
and empower them to assert
and protect themselves. A three-
year $75,000 Jewish Fund grant
will fund a parents' advocacy
group. The Melvin Richman
Jewish Education Fund pays for
enrichment classes and for Ronit
Goutkovitch to teach cooking
and Hebrew classes and about
the Jewish holidays. And month-
ly on Sundays, National Council
of Jewish Women volunteers
serve brunch.

Kadima Plus is a new partner-
ship with Jewish Family Service
that provides support to seniors
with mental illness so they can
continue to live independently
or stay in their own homes or in
Jewish Apartments and Services.
A similar program is being con-
sidered for adolescents.
Kadima also works with JVS
and Michigan Rehabilitation
Services to help clients with
interview and job skills, resume
writing, job readiness and job
search and includes long-term
follow-up and client advocacy.

Miracles Abound
Though less well known than
Farmington Hills-based JARC,
which serves people with devel-
opmental disabilities, Kadima is
a place where miracles happen
daily, Shallal says.
"I think we save lives every
day from going down the drain:'
she said. "I really see miracles —
people feeling worthless become
people with respect and dignity."
Lora Dibiase, 26, is one of
those miracles. Diagnosed as bi-
polar with schizophrenia-effec-
tive, Lora came to Kadima at age
19 as a troublemaker.
"I was getting into scrapes
every day," she recalled as she
sat in Kadima's activity center
doing homework. "I used to
pick the wrong friends. When
they started shoplifting, it was a
wake-up call for me. I was angry
a lot, too. Therapy and the right
medication can make a big dif-

Coloring on page 36

September 28 - 2006

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