Front Lines NOTEBOOK JNenline This Week '70s And '80s BBYO Reunion Set B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) members from the 1970s and 1980s will hold a reunion 7:30-11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Janice Charach Gallery. The festive evening includes a dessert and wine reception and an opportunity to view the gallery's "PostSecret" exhibit. Alumni will be able to create a message with a memory from their BBYO days to include in the exhibit. The Charach Gallery is located in the Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple, West Bloomfield. Cost is $20 per person. Reservations are requested by Nov. 23 and space is limited. For information, contact the BBYO office, (248) 788-0700 or e-mail, sbeals@bbyo.org . - Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor JNF Fiscally Strong The Jewish National Fund, United States has achieved the highest rat- ing by Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management. "As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars:' said Trent Stamp, president of the New Jersey-based charity evaluator, which evaluates nonprofits on the basis of organizational efficiency and capacity. JNF has earned Charity Navigator's second consecutive four-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. That puts JNF in elite company; only 15 percent of the charities that Charity Navigator has earned at least two consecutive four-star evalu- ations Jim Hiller of Hiller's Markets is president of the JNF Michigan Region. Enveloped In Chanukah According to the U.S. Postal Service, it's not too early to begin a com- memoration of Chanukah. The holiday begins the evening of Dec. 4; the special stamp was released last weekend and already should be in post offices. The design will be the same dreidel image that has been used for the past four years, but it will be updated to reflect the 41-cent postage rate. "Please buy [the] stamps as soon as they are available," says Floridian Ronald Scheiman, founder of the Quest for Annual Hanukkah Stamps. "Use them throughout the holiday season. Buy extras and use them all year long. That's what I do." Scheiman, a retired postal employee, also reminds that, according to the Post Office Operations Manual, Chanukah decorations are permitted in all post offices. He suggests those who want to see them in area post offices, contact the USPS Department of Consumer Affairs at delores.j.killette@usps.gov. For information on the history of the Chanukah stamp in America, access Scheiman's Web site at wwwhanukkahstampquest.com . - Shelli Liebman Dorfman, senior writer Red Hat Ladies from West Bloomfield volunteer to make cozy blankets for children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. Making Blankets For Kids Oakland County Child Protective Services removes more than 500 children from abusive or neglectful homes every year. Placed in foster homes or other facilities, they must adjust to the loss of their familiar environments, while learning to live with strangers. Every Monday morning, volunteers meet at the Southfield office of the National Council of Jewish Women-Greater Detroit Section to cre- ate cuddly blankets to give to these children when they are taken from their homes. These blankets are part of the Wrapped in Love projects and are intended to provide a small measure of comfort as the chil- dren go through this traumatic experience. On a recent Monday morning, NCJW volunteers were joined by members of the Free Spirits, a West Bloomfield-based Red Hat Ladies group. Volunteers are welcome from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. any Monday at the NCJW-GDS office, 26400 Lahser, Suite 306, Southfield. Creating the blankets does not require any special skill or experience. There is no sewing involved, just cutting and tying. Coffee and snacks are pro- vided. (248) 355-3300. - Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor A8 November 22 e 2007 You've seen the printed sec- tion each month in the JN, now Teen2Teen goes online! Though the Web site is for Jewish teens by Jewish teens, other generations can check it out, too. Look for it starting Thanksgiving Day. Only at JNt2t.com . E-Newsletter Desire notification when sto- ries that interest you in partic- ular are posted on JNonline? It's easy to designate the kinds of stories you like when you sign up for your personalized e-newsletter. Only at JNonline.us . Just click on Newsletter on the menu near the top of the page. Want the most current news from Israel? Check our stream- ing news from Ynetnews.com for continuous updates and longer news, opinion and fea- ture stories. And look at the center of our Homepage for an Israel story that changes twice daily. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. - - Gail Zimmerman, arts & entertainment editor Teen2Teen Site Latest From Israel - Robert A. Sklar, editor Raimi Returns To Michigan Two November events bring stellar filmmaker Sam Raimi back to Michigan. The first was the bat mitzvah of his niece, Rose Rubin, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, and the second will be the conferring of the Governor's Awards for Arts & Culture at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Raimi, who has a long line of film hits including the Spider Man series, will receive the International Achievement Award Thursday, Nov. 29, when 12 successful artists from Michigan will be recognized in a program planned by ArtServe Michigan. "When I first started making films as a youngster, I didn't know I could do that professionally and let that be my career," says Raimi, 48, who graduated from Birmingham Groves High School and went on to Michigan State University. "I just thought it was something I would do until the real world caught up with me and made me do something else. I was very fortu- nate to have parents who allowed me to drop out of the university to pursue my dream. I also was very fortunate to have good friends with similar interests at an early age." Raimi, whose first film was The Evil Dead, built his career as a producer, director, writer and actor. The honoree and his wife, Gillian Greene, the daughter of the late actor Lorne Greene, have five children. Past Jewish winners of Governor's Awards are playwright Arthur Miller and filmmakers Jerry Bruckheimer and Lawrence Kasdan. The Governor's Awards for Arts & Culture will be presented Thursday evening, Nov. 29, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. $50-$300. (248) 582-8465. www.JNonline.us Celebrations! Find weekly listings of births, b'nai mitzvah, engagements, weddings and anniversaries as well as past simchahs all online. They are all bundled under each week's publication date. Just visit JNonline.us and click on Lifecycles on the left. Last week's poll results: Will you be in town for Thanksgiving? Yes 67% No 33% This week's poll question: Is cost the major reason peo- ple don't join a synagogue? Visit the JNonline.us homepage, below the left menu, to cast your vote.